What to see, do and hear: T.I., ‘The Nutcracker,’ Beatrix Potter, ‘Rudolph,’ more

THEATER 

The Center for Puppetry Arts is staging its adaptation of the 1964 Rankin/Bass iconic TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, through December 31. An exhibition at the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, featuring holiday-themed puppets from TV specials, is included with every performance. Tickets are $30.

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Synchronicity Theatre has extended its run of The Little Prince through December 30. The children’s musical is based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s 1943 story about a pilot who crashes in the Sahara and meets a boy from outer space. In her review, ArtsATL writer Rachel Garbus says the production “stays surprisingly loyal to the original plot, retaining most of the characters the small hero meets on his travels through the galaxy” and “translates complex emotion while fulfilling its obligation to joy for young audiences.” Tickets start at $31.

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Holiday improv shows Invasion: Christmas Carol, on stage at Dad’s Garage, and Y’allmark Christmas, on stage at Horizon Theatre, continue through December 30. ArtsATL editor-at-large Benjamin Carr recently sat down with actor Avery Sharpe and writer/director Topher Payne to engage in a discussion about why improv breaks tradition — in a good way — in holiday productions. Tickets start at $30 for Y’allmark Christmas and $46 for Invasion: Christmas Carol.

DANCE

Most of the local Nutcracker ballet performances are over for this year, but the grandest of them all, Yuri Possokhov’s state-of-the-art production for Atlanta Ballet, continues at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre through December 26. ArtsATL Senior Editor Gillian Anne Renault described it as “magical” in her recent review. There are four different casts for the ballet, which means not all the upcoming performances will feature the dancers mentioned in the review. But they are all beautifully trained and the sets are gorgeous. Tickets start at $53. (Photo by Kim Kenney)

MUSIC

T.I. will join forces with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall to revisit his breakthrough album, Trap Muzik on December 28 and December 29 at 8 p.m. The concerts mark the 20th anniversary of the album, which featured such iconic tracks as “24,” “Be Easy,” “Rubber Band Man” and “Let’s Get Away.” T.I. will perform songs from the album as well as other classic tunes from his career. Tickets start at $250.

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The venerable Mother’s Finest — famously from Funk Rock, Georgia — remains one of the most dynamic live acts in the business 50 years into the group’s career. One of the first Black bands with a hard rock sound, Mother’s Finest was likely a few years ahead of its time and helped forge the path for later groups such as Living Colour. Mother’s Finest is anchored by original members Gary “Moses Mo” Moore on guitar, Jerry “Wyzard” Seay on bass, Glenn “Doc” Murdock on vocals and especially vocalist Joyce “Baby Jean” Kennedy, who remains a force. With hits that range from “Baby Love” to “Thank You For The Love,” Mother’s Finest knows how to scorch a stage. The group performs at Eddie’s Attic December 30, with shows at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $46.17.

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The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, joined by jazz vocalist Tammy McCann and under the baton of  Associate Conductor William R. Langley, will perform Christmas classics ranging from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas at Symphony Hall December 23 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. McCann is a former “Raelette” in Ray Charles’ band and artist-in-residence at the Music Institute of Chicago. Tickets start at $29.

ART+DESIGN

In the City of Light: Paris 1850-1920 at the High Museum of Art closes on December 31. ArtsATL critic Catherine Fox wrote that the exhibit chronicles the vibrancy of everyday Paris, the city streets and sassy nightlife, and closed her review with this: “Fair warning: You won’t see these again for a while. Light-sensitive works on paper are required to take a six-year rest after hanging in the galleries.”

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Another High Museum exhibit that won’t be around much longer is Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature. It closes on Sunday, January 7. Potter’s delicate nature drawings are a delight. Far more than a successful children’s author, Potter became a farmer and landowner in what is now the Lake District in England. The Alliance Theatre’s original production Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale, a companion piece to the exhibit, closes on December 23. (Photo by Greg Mooney)