From STOMP to two Nutcrackers, Omaha’s downtown stages fill up for the holidays

The stretch from Thanksgiving weekend to mid-December is the busiest few weeks of the year at the Orpheum and the Holland. If you plan one holiday night out downtown, this is the calendar to plan it from.

Thanksgiving weekend. STOMP’s percussion show is at the Orpheum Nov. 27-28. Across downtown, the Omaha Symphony plays the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone score live under the film at the Holland Center, Saturday Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. The Symphony says the Sunday matinee is cheaper and has more seats. On Sunday night, A Drag Queen Christmas plays the Orpheum.

Two Nutcrackers, two cities. American Midwest Ballet dances The Nutcracker at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center in Council Bluffs Nov. 21-22, then at the Orpheum Dec. 4-6. For something different, The Hip Hop Nutcracker comes to the Orpheum on Dec. 15.

Holiday music at the Holland. Rend Collective brings An Irish Christmas on Dec. 3. On Dec. 6, Omaha’s Grammy-nominated Salem Church Choir hosts Joyful Noise, a seated concert with guest artists.

A Broadway week. The Tony-winning Maybe Happy Ending runs at the Orpheum Dec. 8-13. Love Actually in Concert, with the film on screen and its score played live, follows on Monday, Dec. 14.

Tickets for the Orpheum and Holland shows are sold through Ticket Omaha, the box office for Omaha Performing Arts. The Symphony sells its own. Showtimes vary by night, so check each listing before you go.