VARIETY OF FAMILY OFFERINGS : YULE SPIRIT SPICES UP STAGE PLAYBILLS

In keeping with holiday tradition, playhouses throughout Orange County are brimming with family entertainment that revels in the Yuletide spirit. From “A Christmas Carol” to Dylan Thomas’ poetic “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” there’s a plethora of offerings designed to inspire the seasonal mood.

Here is a guide to what area theaters are dishing up this holiday season:

Professional

Grove Theatre Company: “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”--Dylan Thomas recalls memories of childhood family gatherings in this staged version of his holiday poem, augmented with traditional music of the season. Through Dec. 20. (Gem Theatre, 12853 Main St., Garden Grove, (714) 636-7213)

South Coast Repertory Theatre: “A Christmas Carol”--SCR’s adaptation of Dickens’ timeless tale. Through Dec. 24. (655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 957-4033)

Orange County Performing Arts Center: “Singin’ in the Rain”--The musical is based on the film classic starring Gene Kelly. Dec. 23-28. (600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 556-ARTS)

Community

Yorba Linda Music Theater: “Scrooge”--The traditional favorite “A Christmas Carol” is given a musical treatment. Through Sunday. (4175 Fairmont Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 974-8615)

Buena Park Children’s Musical Theatre: “Pinocchio”--The age-old story of a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy is set to music and features a cast of children. Dec. 11-14. (Buena Park High School Performing Arts Center, Magnolia Street at Academy Way, Buena Park, (714) 821-1394)

Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse: “Yuletide Pageant”--Live models create Christmas card tableaux vivants accompanied by seasonal music in this annual presentation staged with a cast of 35 ranging in age from 5 to 65. Admission is free. Dec. 12-14. (661 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa, (714) 650-5269)

Fountain Valley Community Theater: “The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe”--Four children enter the enchanted kingdom of Narnia through a magical wardrobe door and meet up with a lion king, a witch and Father Christmas. The fantasy is presented by a cast ranging in age from 7 to 21 in the Forum II theater at Golden West College. Through Dec. 14. (Gothard Street at Center Drive, Huntington Beach, (714) 895-8378)

Laguna Moulton Playhouse: “Winnie the Pooh”--A.A. Milne’s beloved family tale follows the adventures of imaginative Christopher Robin and his lovable toy bear. Through Dec. 14. (606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, (714) 494-0743)

San Clemente Community Theatre: “Follies a la Carte 5”--This family-oriented vaudeville show brings skits, jokes and song and dance to the Cabrillo Playhouse. Through Saturday. (202 Cabrillo Way, San Clemente, (714) 492-0465)

Colleges

Golden West College: “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”--Plans for a church Christmas pageant go awry when the youthful participants offer their own interpretation of the Nativity in this Barbara Robinson comedy that features a cast of 43 children and 10 adults. Through Dec. 14. (Golden West College Mainstage Theater, Gothard Street at Center Drive, Huntington Beach, (714) 895-8378)

Orange Coast College: “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”--A musical adaptation of the Dylan Thomas poem opens at OCC’s Fine Arts Patio Theater. Through Dec. 13. (2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, (714) 432-5880)

“Cinderella”--David Coleman gives a musical treatment to the fairy tale of Cinderella, the poor but beautiful girl who meets her Prince Charming during a magical evening at a royal ball. At OCC’s Robert B. Moore Theatre. Dec. 14. (2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, (714) 432-5880)

UC Irvine: “Madrigal Dinner 1986”--The annual English Renaissance banquet with costumed performers, trumpeters and traditional Yule feast rings in the holiday season for the ninth year at UCI. Through Dec. 17. (Fine Arts Village Theatre, Mesa and Bridge roads, Irvine, (714) 856-6616)

Cypress College: “The Dining Room”--Playwright A. R. Gurney Jr.’s examination of family relationships uses the narrative hook of 18 scenes that all take place in a dining room. Through Dec. 13. (Cypress College Studio Theater, 9200 Valley View St., Cypress, (714) 821-6320)

Fullerton College: “Peter Pan”--Never Land comes alive in this musical fairy tale about the flying boy who refuses to grow up. Tuesday through Dec. 14. (Campus Theater, 321 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton, (714) 871-8101)

Dinner Theater

Elizabeth Howard’s Curtain Call Dinner Theatre: “Camelot”--Lerner and Loewe take a musical trip back in time to the days of King Arthur’s Court. Through Feb. 1. (690 El Camino Real, Tustin, (714) 838-1540)

The Grand Dinner Theatre: “Sugar Babies”--Beautiful girls, familiar old tunes and low-brow laughs are the main ingredients in this rollicking, affectionate nod to the heyday of burlesque. Through Feb. 1. (1 Hotel Way, Anaheim, (714) 772-7710)

Harlequin Dinner Playhouse: “The Pirates of Penzance”--Gilbert and Sullivan’s musical mayhem on the high seas resurfaces at the Harlequin. Through Feb. 8. (3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 979-5511)

Southampton Dinner Theatre: “My One and Only”--A festive musical filled with Gershwin tunes focuses on love between an ingenue and an intrepid aviator. Through Jan. 18. (140 Ave. Pico, San Clemente, (714) 498-7576)