For many, the holiday season of celebrations will come to a close the first week in January 2025, with Kwanzaa culminating on Jan. 1, Hannukkah on Jan. 2, and the Twelfth Day of Christmas on Jan. 5.
But don’t put away your party hats just yet: We still have plenty of reasons to celebrate as a new year of theater – with a bevy of intriguing shows opening in January – begins. Lakewood Theatre, for one, is going deliciously dark with the U.S. premiere of The Maltese Falcon in its stage version. Likewise, Stage Fright is offering an encore performance of its horror festival at CoHo Theatre.
While Imago is revisiting the classic A Streetcar Named Desire, Portland Center Stage is presenting the racially charged Mrs. Harrison, and Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble (PETE) is keeping it wild with Faena, which, according to its press, “comes from the twisted mind of Dylan Hankins.”
Here’s more about those shows and others, whose wild variety promises to keep life spicy in the weeks to come.
CONTINUING SHOWS
The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, Dec. 29.

This year’s performance of the popular show promises “fabulous spectacle, whip-smart comedy, brand new songs, and annual favorites.” Starring BenDeLaCreme & Jinkx Monsoon. See it at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
ZooZoo will continue at Imago Theatre, through Jan. 1.

Touring internationally since 2009, this family-friendly show is back in Portland for the holidays. The updated show includes a preview of Imago’s newest vignette, “Birds,” which features some of the fluffiest, most charming baby birds you’ll ever see. Plus “polar bears, acrobatic worms, self-touting accordions and tricky penguins.” You can read the ArtsWatch review here.
OPENING IN JANUARY
The Maltese Falcon, at Lakewood Theatre Company, Jan. 3 – Feb. 9.

Based on Dashiell Hammett’s serialized stories and John Huston’s 1941 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart, The Maltese Falcon features private detective Sam Spade, a priceless statue, a femme fatale, and a murdered partner. The production is directed by David Sikking, whose first post-high school performance was in one of Lakewood’s stagings of Auntie Mame.
Stage Fright presents STITCHES & They Were a Dracula at CoHo Theatre, Jan. 3-5.
For those who missed Stage Fright’s queer horror theatre festival in the fall, it’s back with a double feature for one weekend this winter. One ticket will get you into both plays, including STITCHES, which was created by Nathalie FitzSimons. According to the press, this “queer, body horror clown show” was inspired by the Grand Guignol theater tradition and follows a reanimated corpse who wants to find true life on its own terms. Described as a “scary comedy,” They Were A Dracula features familiar characters from Bram Stoker’s famous novel, with a twist. The play’s press states: “Jonathan comes out to Mina … as a member of the undead. Mina seduces Lucy, who seduces Van Helsing. Dracula himself is conflicted about drinking blood.” Expect fangs, blood, and some song and dance routines. Tickets cost $25, with a sliding scale available.
Kimberly Akimbo presented by Broadway in Portland, Jan. 14-19.

The New Yorker says this musical about growing up and growing older is “howlingly funny, hopscotching among emotions with virtuosic fluidity.” Kimberly is a 16-year-old who is aging four times faster than the average person. The show won five Tony awards, including one for Best Musical, David Lindsay-Abair’s book and lyrics, Jeanine Tesori’s score, and Danny Mefford’s choreography. Best for ages 13 and up.
A Streetcar Named Desire at Imago Theatre, Jan. 17–Feb. 2.
When Imago’s press promises that their revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire will be “an unabashedly invigorating take on this modern masterpiece,” I believe them. Jerry Mouawad is directing the classic story of the former Southern belle Blanche DuBois and the tensions that ensue when she moves into a cramped New Orleans apartment with her sister, Stella, and Stella’s husband, Stanley.
Stumptown Stages’ Hairspray, Jan. 17–Feb. 9.
The winner of eight Tony Awards, Hairspray takes us back to 1962 Baltimore, where social outcast Tracy Turnblad is determined to dance on the “Corny Collins Show.” The musical is directed by Julianne Johnson, and Jeff George, who choreographed Stumptown’s recent It’s a Wonderful Life, is back to design the dancing.
Mrs. Harrison at Portland Center Stage, Jan. 19–Feb. 16.
R. Eric Thomas (a.k.a. the advice columnist behind “Asking Eric”) has written a play with a gripping premise: Aisha, a Black, successful playwright, and Holly, a white, struggling stand-up comedian, meet at their ten-year college reunion. Is it a coincidence that Aisha’s most successful play resembles a tragic event from Holly’s past?
AND LOOKING AHEAD
Later in January, Lauren Yee’s comedy Samsara, which features an expectant couple, their unenthusiastic surrogate and a smart-mouthed fetus, will be on stage at Profile Theatre; Twilight Theater will portray a parent’s worst fears when an estranged biracial couple’s son is detained by police in American Son by Christopher Demos-Brown; and Broadway Rose’s first show of the new year will be 8-Track:The Sounds of the 70s in Concert. Also opening at the end of the month is Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble’s Faena, a flamboyant tragicomedy that features an absurd matador’s date with death.
THEATER NEWS
Twilight Theater’s 7th Annual Awards Gala on January 17
Twilight Theater is holding its seventh annual Light Up the Stars awards gala at 7 p.m. Jan. 17. The evening will be a celebration of the audience’s choices for the “best and brightest” of the company’s 2024 season, including categories for acting, set design, lights, sound, costumes, director, ensemble and play. Light snacks will be available, and glasses of wine and ale will be available to buy. Seating is limited to 100, and you can RSVP via Twilight’s Facebook page. Cocktail dress encouraged, but not required.
Milago Theatre celebrates Herencia, a program to preserve Oregon’s Latino history.
According to Milagro’s newsletter, Oregon’s Latino population has grown by 72% since 2000, yet there are still large gaps in the historical record about people of color in the state. In addition to staging culturally rich plays, the company’s Herencia program explores Oregon’s Latino history by participating in the Oregon Latino Oral History Project, which records stories of Latinos who’ve helped shape Oregon’s cultural history.
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