One really great thing to do every day of the week! by Megan Seling WEDNESDAY 12/18   A Very Die Hard Christmas (PERFORMANCE) My expectations were very high the first time I saw A Very Die Hard Christmas at the Seattle Public Theater. Like, blow-the-roof-off-the-top-of-Nakatomi-Plaza-with-a-shitload-of-C-4 big. Watching the 1988 action movie is my dearest Christmas tradition—I have seen it hundreds of times, and I am delighted to report that this locally produced musical interpretation of Die Hard, written by Jeff Shell and the Habit and directed by Mark Siano, was beyond my wildest imagination. It has everything! Fist toes! A white tank top decaying at a hilariously unrealistic pace! I felt like I was watching all the best parts of the movie—with all my favorite lines appropriately exaggerated in the same way I hear them in my head—with 160 of my closest, most Die Hard-obsessed best friends. Ellis’s big cocaine-fueled musical number is worth the price of admission alone. That said, all the shows are sold out. But Christmas is a time for miracles! The theater is offering $20 rush tickets to all performances through December 22. Just show up an hour before showtime, get your name on the rush list, and they'll do their best to squeeze you in. I promise it's worth the hassle. (Seattle Public Theater, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N, multiple performances through Dec 22) MEGAN SELING THURSDAY 12/19   Kimya Dawson with Blotto the Clown and Crazy Harold (MUSIC) Kimya Dawson's sound as a solo artist and as a member of the DIY punk duo Moldy Peaches ranges from indie folk to noise, but the common thread is that her work always makes you feel like the main character in a movie. As a teenager, I walked down the halls of my high school with the Moldy Peaches' "Lucky Number Nine" blaring through my earbuds. I pictured myself as the leading outcast from my favorite TV shows and films (Ghost World, Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life) and romanticized my sadness to make it feel more manageable. I wandered around my neighborhood listening to Dawson's solo track "I Like Giants" and gazed at the stars, putting the size of my body in perspective ("All girls feel too big sometimes regardless of their size," she coos). The PNW legend will return to the stage with special guests, clown wrestlers Blotto the Clown and Crazy Harold (unclear how they'll fit into the show, but I can't wait to see.) Local art rockers Scott Yoder and Mold Mom will open. (Neumos, 925 E Pike St, 7 pm, $20, all ages) AUDREY VANN FRIDAY 12/20   Thunderpussy: The Breast Is Yet to Come Tour (MUSIC) Stanger contributor Nathalie Graham writes: "Thunderpussy almost didn’t make it. The future looked bright for the band when they released their debut full-length Thunderpussy in 2018. They earned critical acclaim for their riff-filled brand of ’70s-inspired rock, got featured in Rolling Stone as Mike McCready’s 'favorite new band,' and ended the year signing to a major label, Republic Records’s subsidiary Stardog. In the years that followed, though, things took a turn. It wasn’t clear whether the band would ever release a second record, let alone exist. But, after years full of heartbreak, loss, and uncomfortable but necessary metamorphosis, Thunderpussy are back, and they’re stronger than ever." The quartet's hometown show, the last date of their December West Coast tour, will feature tracks off their celebrated 2024 full-length West. Don't miss an opening set from British rockers James and the Cold Gun, whose name is derived from my favorite Kate Bush song. (The Crocodile, 2505 First Ave, 6 pm, $30, 21+) AUDREY VANN SATURDAY 12/21   David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown feat. Courtney Fortune (MUSIC) When the winter blues cover the windows of my mind in heaps of snow, there is one thing that can shovel me out: Vince Guaraldi's score to A Charlie Brown Christmas. Similar to the way a string of Christmas lights can transform a cold, dark city street into a twinkling cinematic setting, the opening piano chords of "O Tannenbaum" can instantly uncover the fruits of the season; evoking flannel PJs and hot cocoa with big squishy marshmallows. When I hear the children's choir coo "Christmas Time Is Here," it truly makes me believe that there is "beauty everywhere." Guaraldi died nearly 50 years ago, but there are plenty of saints carrying on his legacy. Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist David Benoit, who is best known as the musical director of 2015’s Peanuts Movie, will return to Jazz Alley with vocalist Courtney Fortune for a tribute to Guaraldi's beloved score. (Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, multiple performances Dec 19–22, $55.50, all ages) AUDREY VANN SUNDAY 12/22   Oh, Canada (FILM) Say what you will about Paul Schrader (and there's, uh, a lot to say—I'm a diehard fan of this Twitter account that tracks the cinema auteur's batshit Facebook posts), but the dude knows how to tell a story in an unflinching, precise, and maybe even transcendental style. If you saw Schrader's god-tier film First Reformed, you're already familiar with his austere brand of spiritualism. Hopefully, Oh, Canada continues the thread. The film follows Richard Gere as Leonard Fife, an aging leftist filmmaker who dodged Vietnam service by fleeing to Canada decades earlier. When his former student (Michael Imperioli) sits him down for an interview, Fife shares myth-busting stories of his younger self (Jacob Elordi) and his wife/artistic partner (Uma Thurman). I'd be seated for the cast alone, but Schrader's direction makes this one a solid bet. (Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, multiple showtimes through Dec 22, $9–$12) LINDSAY COSTELLO MONDAY 12/23   The Dina Martina Christmas Show See Dina Martina's surreal Christmas comedy show through December 24. DAVID BELISLE (PERFORMANCE) Seattle's own "Second Lady of Entertainment" will return to the stage in December with some Christmassy razzle-dazzle. Alongside Stranger Genius Award-winning composer and musician Chris Jeffries, Dina Martina will deliver the surreal comedy and festive tunes for which she's been known and loved for over 25 years. Buckle in for a holiday fever dream: Martina's show was described by former Stranger editor Chase Burns as "cozy but disorienting," and John Waters calls her act "some new kind of twisted art." (ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, multiple performances through Dec 24, $46–$60) LINDSAY COSTELLO TUESDAY 12/24   The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show See Jinkx and BenDeLaCreme's dragstavaganza December 21–24. Jacob Ritts (PERFORMANCE) Jinkx Monsoon, the "internationally tolerated Jewish narcoleptic drag queen," and BenDeLaCreme, the sugary sweet RuPaul's Drag Race icon, will bring their unique blend of bubbly effervescence and quirky realness to the stage for this holiday dragstravaganza. The pair plan to maximize their joint sleigh and share why they're the true queens of Christmas cheer, which already seems undebatable. The show will return to town after a wildly successful run last year; expect brand-new songs and a healthy dash of spectacle, plus "adult themes and language." (Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave, multiple performances Dec 21–24, $30–$295, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO  Prizefight!  Win tickets to rad upcoming events!* ThunderpussyDecember 21, the Crocodile (21+) ENTER NOW! Contest ends 12/19 at 3 pm *Entering PRIZE FIGHT contests by submitting your email address signs you up to receive the Stranger Suggests newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.