Seasonal Treats on Stages and Screens Top Our Must-Do Events for the Week of December 2 to 8

Stay in or go out? Whatever your preference, we’ve gathered great options in our list of must-do events for the week of December 2 through 8, including SpongeBob on the small screen, Les Miz on the big screen, and Harry Connick Jr. on Broadway.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
O CHRISTMAS TREE
Remember when Idina Menzel (above) and Lea Michele sang a duet of “I Dreamed a Dream” on Glee, after Idina was revealed to be Lea’s … make that Rachel Berry’s … mother? The Broadway powerhouses will reunite to perform happier holiday songs as headliners in the annual tree-lighting special Christmas at Rockefeller Center. Joining Menzel and Michele beneath the giant Norway spruce are Broadway vets Skylar Astin and Alex Newell, Tony-winning producer and Sexiest Man Alive John Legend and Today weatherman Al Roker, a two-time alum of Waitress. By the way, watching the stars ring in the season at home is waaay more fun than freezing with the throngs gathered outside 30 Rock.
INFO: 8pm ET on NBC-TV. For more details, click here.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
BABY, BABY, BABY
In the 36 years since its original Broadway run, Baby has risen to cult status with its tuneful depiction of embracing (or enduring) pregnancy at three stages of life. Now that the universe is obsessed with celebrity baby bumps, this still timely show is getting a site-specific staging, with Tony winner Alice Ripley as an unexpectedly expectant mother in her 40s. But hurry: Out of the Box Theatrics’ production, featuring Christina Sajous as a 30-something would-be mom (revamped as half of lesbian couple) and Liz Flemming as a college-age mom-to-be, runs for only 11 performances. Grab a seat "on set" in a midtown Manhattan loft for a musical look at how three couples deal with a life-altering condition.
INFO: December 6-14 at 14 West 45th Street, Apt. 4. Tickets start at $39.50. Click for more info.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
CONNICK CELEBRATES COLE
As refreshing as a martini, as romantic as a love letter, the sophisticated songs of Cole Porter are catnip to great singers. No wonder two-time Tony nominee Harry Connick Jr. chose the composer as the focus of his lavish new stage show A Celebration of Cole Porter, which arrives on Broadway on December 7 for a three-week run. Connick approached the vast Porter catalog not simply as a performer but also as a pianist, arranger, orchestrator and conductor; he’ll be accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra. Look for the star to put his jazzy spin on Broadway classics such as "Anything Goes," "Why Can’t You Behave" and "Just One of Those Things," featured on his new album True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter.
INFO: Limited run through December 29 at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Tickets start at $105.50.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
BIKINI BOTTOM NIGHT
As SpongeBob SquarePants marks its 20th anniversary on Nickelodeon, the network that introduced the wacky undersea world of Bikini Bottom is giving fans the ultimate holiday gift: The SpongeBob Musical: Live On Stage! Debuting December 7, this televised version of the beloved 2017 Broadway show reunites much of the original cast, including Tony nominees Ethan Slater in the title role and Gavin Lee as his fussy neighbor Squidward Q. Tentacles. Boasting songs by more than a dozen pop stars, including Broadway vets Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper and David Bowie, this clever musical captured the hearts of Broadway audiences—even those who knew nothing about the source material in advance—so the Nickelodeon faithful are sure to be enthralled. Fry up a Krabby Patty and enjoy!
INFO: 7PM ET on Nickelodeon. For more details, click here.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8
HEAR THE PEOPLE SING
You can never experience Les Miserables too many times, particularly when Alfie Boe is playing Jean Valjean and Michael Ball (the West End’s original Marius back in 1985) is singing the villainous Javert. Billed as "The All-Star Staged Concert," Cameron Mackintosh’s latest iteration of the megahit musical is headed to American movie theaters on December 8 and 11. Filmed at London’s Gielgud Theatre with a 65-member cast and orchestra, the concert features Les Miz vets Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine, Matt Lucas as Thenardier and Katy Seccombe as Madame Thenardier. Hear Boublil and Schonberg’s score on a big screen near you as it was meant to be performed (sorry, Russell Crowe).
INFO: December 8 and 11 at movie theaters nationwide; December 12 at theaters in Canada. For more details, click here.

Illustrations by Tug Rice for Broadway.com