Must-see holiday shows

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Wintuk
Although the WaMu Theater’s low ceilings cramp Cirque du Soleil’s expansive style, children will still marvel at the acrobatics and giant ice-monster puppets in this seasonal tale of a city boy’s journey to an imaginary northern land in search of snow. WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Seventh Ave at 32nd St (212-465-6741)

Radio City Christmas Spectacular
This show’s got legs: The high-kicking Radio City Rockettes star in the holiday extravaganza, which sees them dressed up as everything from Santa’s reindeer to toy soldiers. The “Living Nativity” is the religious icing on the kitschy secular Christmas cake. While it may be too sugary for adult consumption, kids will enjoy the special-effects-filled sugar rush. Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave at 50th St (212-247-4777, radiocitychristmas.com)

The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet
A lot of Sugar Plum Fairies get tossed around during December, but George Balanchine’s 1954 classic is the only Nutcracker that matters. As the New York City Ballet transport you to a world of frost fairies, toy soldiers and towering mice, the dancing will take your breath away. New York State Theater at Lincoln Center, W 63rd St at Broadway (212-870-4071, nycballet.com)

New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show
In NYBG's wildly popular diorama, more than a dozen model railway trains traverse an incredibly detailed New York City landscape, including such landmarks as the old Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building and the original Penn Station, made entirely of natural materials such as leaves, twigs, bark and berries. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Pkwy at Fordham Rd (718-817-8700, nybg.com)

On Broadway

White Christmas
Irving Berlin's holiday chestnut returns to the Marquis Theatre November 13. The cast includes the two vocal standouts of the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line (Tony Yazbeck and Mara Davi), the silver-voiced Melissa Errico, and the plummy cherry on top of this sundae, David Ogden Stiers—fondly remembered for his five seasons as the foil on M*A*S*H—as the retired general whose Vermont inn is out of luck. Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway at 46th St (212-307-4100)

Billy Elliot
Stephen Daldry brings his award-winning musical, set to music by Elton John, to New York. Billy Elliot is played by three rising stars: David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish. Imperial Theatre, 249 W 45th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave (212-239-6200)

Fela!
Director-choreographer Bill T. Jones stages a day in the life of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the late Nigerian bandleader, activist and provocateur. Afrobeat’s percolating funk—played by local groove ensemble Antibalas—envelops the audience from the start, and Fela (Sahr Ngaujah) stokes the crowd with humor, charisma and a set of classics that bare his barbed tongue. Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 230 W 49th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave (212-239-6200)

In the Heights
This bouncy barrio musical has plenty of good old-fashioned Broadway heart, and that heart has a thrilling new beat: the invigorating pulse of modern Latin rhythms, mixed with the percussive dynamism of hip-hop. Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W 46th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave (212-307-4100)

Mary Poppins
Here’s a new beast for Disney’s musical menagerie: a tuner that adults can enjoy. Based on the 1964 movie and P.L. Travers’s original, darker novel, the story tells of overworked parents who hire an odd nanny (Scarlett Strallen) to tame their horrid brats. New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 W 42nd St between Seventh and Eighth Aves (212-307-4747)

Shrek
The latest singing-green-monster star to be minted on Broadway is Shrek, the grouchy, stinky, nasty-looking ogre made famous in a series of DreamWorks animated films. There’s a lot to enjoy in the lavish stage version, arguably the best musical for younger audiences since The Lion King. Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway at 53rd St (212-239-6200)

South Pacific
Bartlett Sher’s revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 World War II musical is faultlessly decorous. The staging is elegant; the cast acts with restraint and sings beautifully; the 30-piece orchestra swells with pride. Although the score is a treasure, today key elements of the plot seem a bit corny. Still, the audience swoons at those gorgeous, romantic tunes. Vivian Beaumont Theater (at Lincoln Center) 150 W 65th St at Broadway (212-239-6200)

West Side Story
This subtly recalibrated revival is Broadway in very fine form: standing up to face darkness head on, and unafraid to be a thing of beauty. The chief glory of this classic is the Leonard Bernstein score, terrific sounding with a full orchestra. Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway at 47th St (212-307-4100)

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