Justin Guarini Learns It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol Gets a Comic Makeover & More Cross-Country News

The holidays are here! But before you get too wrapped up in decking the halls and donning your gay apparel, head out and see the blazing theater before you. This week’s Countrywide Guide spotlights American Idol fave Justin Guarini returning to his Bucks County roots in It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Million Dollar Quartet making a stop in Washington, D.C., a merrily madcap production of Mame and more!


PALM SPRINGS, CA
Upright Cabaret Brings Broadway to Hollywood
Upright Cabaret’s A Broadway Christmas is set to bring theatergoers the perfect holiday gift this season! Stars and snowflakes will glitter together as Upright combines the best of Broadway with the classic carols of Christmas. Sweet songs from favorite musicals such as Jersey Boys, Wicked, Billy Elliot and Dreamgirls performed by stars like Lillias White and James Tormé will warm fans with yuletide joy on December 14 at the Annenberg Theater.


BALTIMORE, MD
Mame Throws a Fabulous Banquet in Baltimore
The splashy musical Mame, which garnered Tony awards for Angela Lansbury, Bea Arthur and Frankie Michaels in 1966, plays big in the little Spotlighters Theatre! With a superb score by Jerry Herman and talented local performers, the production stays as close to the original as possible and makes good use of the company's small space. Mame runs through December 23, so grab your favorite bosom buddy and hightail it on over!


NEW HOPE, PA
Justin Guarini Heads Home to Help an Angel Get Its Wings
Justin Guarini has appeared on Broadway in American Idiot and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and now the American Idol runner-up (and Doylestown resident!) joins Jill Paice, Lauren Molina & more in the Bucks County Playhouse's It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Written by Joe Landry, the show honors the beloved film, with the cast gathered in front of microphones. See it December 13 through December 30. Hot dog!


WASHINGTON, D.C.
Million Dollar Quartet Jams Out in Washington, D.C.
The national tour of the Tony-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet is set to rock the nation’s capital for the holidays. The rousing musical that brings you inside the recording studio with rock 'n' roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins makes for one of the greatest jam sessions ever. Featuring Broadway vet Robert Britton Lyons as Perkins, the tuner will play the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from December 18 through January 6, 2013.


LOS ANGELES, CA
Second City’s Offers a Comic ‘Twist’ on A Christmas Carol
Second City alums and Comedy Central writers Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort have dreamed up a silly spoof of Dickens' Christmastime classic, stuffed with improv sketches and characters written specifically for its cast of L.A.-based Second City alumni. SCTV favorite Joe Flaherty joins Frank Caeti, Larry Joe Campbell, Dan Castellaneta and more in the ensemble cast. A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens plays the Kirk Douglas Theatre through December 30.