Catch some of the city’s most exciting upcoming performances, happening all month long, with our roundup of live theater and performing arts productions in December 2023.
This month brings a classic fairy tale to life, the return of a familiar Symphony face, and many more options for those looking for performing arts outside the holiday season.
From classical music and regional play premieres to musicals and dance, there’s something for every taste and budget.
Looking for a show celebrating the holiday season? Check out our guide to the Top 25 Performing Arts & Holiday Shows in Houston.
Top Performing Arts & Theater Shows in Houston: December 2023
Opening This Month
- WindSync presents Germination at MATCH | Friday, December 1 – WindSync and composers Viet Cuong and Nicky Sohn share insights into the creative process between writers and performers in an evening of Houston premieres. Be among the first to hear Sohn’s Yardbird Suite and Cuong’s Flora. $35. 7:30pm.
- Houston Symphony: Andrés Returns at Jones Hall | Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3 – Conductor Laureate Andrés Orozco-Estrada leads Shostakovich’s cinematic, richly evocative Symphony No. 11, The Year 1905. It’s a work with important ties to Houston—the Houston Symphony gave the U.S. premiere in 1957, and released the first-ever commercial recording shortly after. Recognized as one of the great violinists of our time, the incomparable Augustin Hadelich returns with Shostakovich’s dynamic Violin Concerto No. 1. $34 and up. Friday and Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2:30pm.
- Opera in the Heights presents Hansel & Gretel at Lambert Hall | Friday, December 1 | Ongoing – This beloved opera, with its lush and beautiful score, comes to life on stage in a production that pulls the audience into its fairytale setting and a new English translation. This production runs through Saturday, December 9. $29 and up. Showtimes vary.
- 4th Wall Theatre Company presents Sense & Sensibility at Spring Street Studios | Saturday, December 2 | Ongoing – This new adaptation of the Jane Austen classic has been praised as “an enchanting romp of a play” by the New York Times. An examination of gossip, reputation and a woman’s place in the world, its sparkling comedy underlies serious themes. This production runs through Saturday, December 23. $28 and up. Showtimes vary.
- Musiqa presents Arts for All Concert & Brunch at MATCH | Sunday, December 3 – This concert features several short works by students in the organization’s MusiqaLab for Young Composers program. Brunch is included in the ticket price, and proceeds from the event help support Musiqa programming. $75. 11am.
- TUTS presents Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at Hobby Center | Tuesday, December 5 | Ongoing – The beloved story of a kind young woman, her fairy godmother and believing in the impossible comes to life on stage in this family-friendly production that borrows from the 1990s TV production of the musical, starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. This production runs through Sunday, December 24. $40 and up. Showtimes vary.
Closing This Month
- Catastrophic Theatre presents Turn of the Screw at MATCH | Through Saturday, December 9 – This classic ghost story by Henry James about a governess in Victorian England gets a new environmental and multimedia production. Look for a haunting soundscape, toy theatre, puppetry, and for performers and guests to collaborate in creating a new take on one of the world’s most celebrated ghost stories. Pay-what-you-can. Showtimes vary.
- Main Street Theater presents Disney’s Beauty & the Beast at MATCH | Through Friday, December 23 – The dazzling fairy tale comes to life on stage, telling the story of the bookish Belle, who yearns for something more than her provincial life. When her father is captured by a ferocious beast, Belle trades her freedom for his, and finds herself in an enchanted castle. Can she ever find her way back home, and discover how to make her dreams come true? $22 and up. Noon and 3:30pm.
- Stages presents Always…Patsy Cline at the Gordy | Through Sunday, December 31 – Celebrating its 35th anniversary, this musical biography features 27 of the iconic country singer’s hits, while showcasing her rise to stardom in the 1960s. It’s also the story of the friendship between Cline and Houston native Louise Seger, who met the singer in a Bayou City honky tonk. $48 and up. Showtimes vary.
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