New York theatre taking place in December 2020

Here's our top tips for what to watch online and in person this December.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. That doesn't mean your viewing choices have to be. While the only lights on Broadway are the ghost lights on stage, use your imagination and enjoy a night on the Great White Way this December. Here's our top recommendations on what to see in December 2020, including livestreamed performances, concerts and even a few Christmas movies thrown in.

Time Stands Still

Walk down any street in New York and it'll feel as if time really has stood still. It's even more poignant when you look at photographs. That's the theme of Time Stands Still, Donald Margulies' Tony Award-winning play that asks how to find happiness in a crazy world. This revival will see the original Broadway cast come together for the show's 10th anniversary, including Laura Linney, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian, and Brian d'Arcy James. You've got four nights to watch Time Stands Still before it eventually goes away into the ether. Check out what the popular press said about Time Stands Still a decade ago.

Online, from December 3.

Barbecue

After staging the critically-acclaimed Slave Play, Robert O' Hara directs a revival of Barbecue, a pertinent play examining sociocultural differences. The play starts off with the O'Mallerys, who come together for a park barbecue. As scenes unfold, audiences meet two sets of O'Mallerys, living their lives with stark differences.Colman Domingo, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tamberla Perry, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Heather Simms, Laurie Metcalf, Carrie Coon, David Morse, Kristine Nielsen and Annie McNamara all star in Barbecue, which rounds off the Winter series of Spotlight on Plays.

Online, from December 10. 

Best of Broadway on NBC

We're looking forward to this musical telethon for a whole host of reasons. First, Tina Fey is in charge of proceedings, so we can be guaranteed jokes left, right and centre. Second, there's performances from Broadway shows that are currently suspended, including Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations, Chicago, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jagged Little Pill and Jersey Boys. Third, it's set to be a whos-who of the theatre industry; expect everyone from Annaleigh Ashford to Billy Porter. Money raised will go towards Broadway Cares, providing vital support for theatre workers during the pandemic.

NBC, December 10.

Broadway Princess Holiday Party

We can't magic up a Christmas without Covid. But, we can be your theatrical fairy godmother to this party that's fit for a princess. Join Cinderella's Laura Osnes, Beauty and the Beast's Susan Egan and Aladdin's Courtney Reed with their heartfelt stories and enchanting vocals. They'll be joined by Aisha Jackson, who regularly appeared in Frozen as Anna.

Online, from December 12. 

School Girls; Or, the African Mean GIrls Play

A star-studded cast take on Jocelyn Bioh's School Girls: Or, The African Mean Girls Play for one night only this December, and we can't wait. There's plenty of high school tropes here, especially when a new student threatens the social hierarchy. But, there's more at stake at this Ghanaian boarding school. See who takes the queen bee title once and for all, with a talented bill including Cynthia Erivo and Ashleigh Murray.

Online, from December 13.

Jagged Little Pill in concert

Isn't it ironic that even though Broadway shows are shut, this Alanis Morrisette musical keeps on giving? See the cast and band of Jagged Little Pill in concert this December, including Elizabeth Stanley, Sean Allan Krill, Celia Rose Gooding, Derek Klena, Kathryn Gallagher, Lauren Patten and Antonio Cipriano. Sadly, you can't see them in the flesh, you'll have to watch them via a livestream instead. But a night in rocking out to Jagged Little Pill sounds perfect by us.

Online, December 14. 

See a Broadway star in a Christmas movie

Okay, so it may not be a piece of "theatre" per se, but Christmas films are a work of art. We've rounded up all the movies we'll be watching in December 2020, with appearances by Aaron Tveit, Kristin Chenoweth and Sarah Jessica Parker. 'Tis the season to be jolly after all.