The lion in winter
The film adaptation of ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis has just opened in movie theaters but you can also catch the show live in Newburyport.
Theater in the Open will present the first narrative in ''The Chronicles of Narnia" series at the Firehouse Center from Friday through Dec. 30.
In the play, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy travel through a magical wardrobe to a land where it is always winter, thanks to an evil white witch. The children join forces with a lion, Aslan, and other creatures as a battle of good vs. evil ensues.
The show is an adaptation by Mark Fleming and Kristan Raymond. Scott Smith directs. The cast includes Rebecca Blaustein as Lucy, Sam Moore as Edmund, Adrienne Toumayan as Susan, David Lanphear as Peter, Zoe Foster as the white witch, and Victor Atkins as Professor Kirke.
For performance dates and times, call 978-465-2572 or visit www.theaterintheopen.org. For reservations, call 978-462-7336.
SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS: In 1976, the late Robert A. Marra, then concertmaster of the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra, brought the group to Revere for a holiday concert.
Today, his son, Robert A. Marra Jr., is president of the orchestra and the tradition continues. The Robert A. Marra Memorial Sounds of Christmas Concert will be presented by the orchestra, led by conductor Robert Lehmann, next Sunday in St. Anthony's Church.
Marra, lifelong Revere resident, died in 2002.
Admission is free but audience members are requested to make a donation of nonperishable food for the Revere Food
NEWBURYPORT MUSIC SERIES: National and local singers and songwriters are showcased in a new monthly music series at the First Religious Society in Newburyport.
The Riverwide Music Series will kick off Friday with Bob Franke, who is celebrating 40 years as a professional musician with a retrospective live CD, ''The Other Evening in Chicago." He'll present his performance piece, ''Dragged Into Christmas," at the holiday concert.
Susan Levine of Newburyport, a regular on the Boston acoustic music scene since returning to the area in 1998 after living and working throughout the United States, will open for Franke. Last year, she was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest in Colorado and the Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition.
The series is presented by Riverwide Records and Thomas Eaton Recording.
Friday's show will begin at 8 p.m. at 26 Pleasant St. Tickets are $10. Call 978-535-3331 or visit www.riverwiderecords.com.
CELTIC CELEBRATION: A family Celtic Christmas celebration -- with songs, stories, and dance -- will be held Friday at the Community House of Hamilton and Wenham.
Featured performers will include Carol McIntyre on celtic harp, Michael O'Leary on vocals and bodhran, Jen Strom on fiddle and vocals, and Bob Strom on guitar and bouzouki. Irish step dancers from the school, Rince Cois Fharriage, which means Dance by the Sea, are special guests.
The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Community House at 284 Bay Road (Route 1A) in Hamilton. Tickets are $10, $8 for students and senior citizens, $5 for ages 6-12, and free for age 5 and under; $30 family maximum. Call 978-590-8909.
AUTHOR'S CORNER: The Book Rack in Newburyport will host a reading and book signing with three poets -- Matt Miller, Karen Nelson, and Carla Panciera -- at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Miller, formerly of Newburyport, is kicking off a book tour for ''Cameo Diner: Poems." He is currently a fellow in creative writing at Stanford University. Nelson is a Californian who recently moved to New England. She'll read from her poetry collection, ''The Woman You Think I Am." Panciera, who lives in Rowley, will read from her collection of poetry, ''One of the Cimalores," which received the 2004 Cider Press Book Award.
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: If you are considering a commissioned portrait of a person, pet, or home to give as a holiday gift, you can check out the work of local portrait artists at the Newburyport Art Association through Dec. 28. Artists represented include Ann Tucker, Susan Spellman, Jean Snow, Leslie Lambert Redhead, Laura Roberts, Charlotte Huebner, Susan Kneeland, Daniel McCarthy, Diane Germano, Linda Jo Neilsen, Marsha Chase, Sharon Morley, Marilyn Coon, James Carew, Dan Keunzig, John Travano, Lully Schwartz, Margaret Spencer, Nancy Power, and Carol Reynolds. Gift certificates for commissioned portraits are available.
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