Liza and the Family…The Scottsboro Boys exit Broadway…Lance Bass and his Big Gay Wedding…and Christmas at the White House!
ho, ho, ho
Blake
Saturday, December 11
WATCH? Stage and screen legend Liza Minnelli discusses her equally legendary parents, Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, in the TCM special “Liza and Family,” a two-night event featuring an interview with Minnelli, and screenings of Minnelli family flicks. Films include "Gigi," "An American in Paris," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Madame Bovary" and "Cabaret." (Airs Dec. 11 and Dec. 14, click here for full schedule and local listings)
Sunday, December 12
BEFORE IT CLOSES? Featuring the songs of legendary songwriting team John Kander and the late Fred Ebb, The Scottsboro Boys tackles the notorious Scottsboro Boys case of the 1930s, where a group of young black men were arrested in Alabama and jailed for years for a crime they didn’t commit. Featuring Tony winner John Cullum as the Interlocutor. Tony-winning director-choreographer Susan Stroman tells this harrowing story through the use of the now-defunct but highly theatrical minstrel show form. (Lyceum Theatre, 149 W. 45th St., btwn. Broadway and 6th Aves., info/tickets)
BEFORE IT CLOSES?Tony Award winner Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) returns to the mines with The Pitmen Painters, a drama based on a group of real-life miners in 1930s and '40s Northern England who, after taking an art appreciation course, went on to become renowned artists themselves. (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., btwn. Broadway and 8th Ave., info/tickets)
Monday, December 13
GO (CA)? A Shrektacular Holiday Extravaganza will feature members of the touring company of Shrek together with Deborah (or, if you’re of the “Electric Youth” era, Debbie!) Gibson. Proceeds will benefit The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. (8 PM, Theatre 39 on Pier 39, Embarcadero and Beach Streets, San Francisco, CA, $35-$65, info/tickets or call 415-273-1620)
Tuesday, December 14
GO? Alec Baldwin hosts “Afghanistan after America, America after Afghanistan,” part of the Public Theater’s Public Forum series. The talk will feature David Rohde, the Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times reporter who was held captive by the Taliban, as well as author Eliza Griswold, 
Manizha Naderi, the executive director of Women for Afghan Women, George Rupp, the president of the International Rescue Committee, and professor Dana Burde. The series coincides with the new play The Great Game: Afghanistan, which is currently playing at the Skirball Center. The 90-minute evening concludes with veterans of the war talking about their experiences. Moderated by Newsweek’s Jeremy McCarter. (NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square S., $25, info/tickets)
Wednesday, December 15
GO (FREE/ATL)? The all-star creative team behind the new musical Bring It On, loosely based on the film of the same name, will convene at its world premiere home, Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, to discuss the work-in-progress. On the panel will be Tony-winning librettist Jeff Whitty, Tony-winning composers Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyricist Amanda Green and Tony-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. The show will premiere in January 2011. (7:30 PM, Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA, call 404-733-5000 to RSVP, info)
Thursday, December 16
Friday, December 17
WATCH? Celebrate Christmas at the White House with Tony nominee Matthew Morrison, Mariah Carey, Miranda Cosgrove, Annie Lennox and host Ellen DeGeneres. President and Mrs. Obama are scheduled to appear at the concert (taping Dec. 12), which benefits the Children’s National Medical Center. (8 PM on TNT, check your local listing, info)
