Hunchback, Redmoon Theatre, through Jan. 20. After seven years, Redmoon revives its exquisite version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, packing the great novel’s emotional highlights into 90 minutes using puppetry, pop-ups, music, masks and miniatures. JA
The Nutcracker, the Joffrey Ballet, Dec. 9-20. No jazzy hipster revisionism here, just the grand, gorgeous ballet based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s beloved story. A holiday tradition for years, the Joffrey Nutcracker features Tchaikovsky’s evergreen score played live. CS
Old Wicked Songs, Signal Ensemble at the Chopin, through Dec. 15. A play about classical pianists finding fellowship through art benefits greatly if the actors do their own musical stuntwork. In this smart production by a small treasure of a troupe, they do. MSB
What the Butler Saw, Court Theatre, through Dec. 9. Sean Graney’s modernized take on Joe Orton’s classic 1967 sex farce is full of zany and naughty theatricality (and don’t forget nudity!). SCM
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge,
Morgan and Sullivan