The Herdman Clan are some of the worst kids ever, especially because of their pranks and habit of causing chaos. When they decide to crash their small town’s Sunday school Christmas pageant, the faithful visitors to Bethlehem are now cigar-smoking and making mischief in the famed manger scene on stage.

This silly musical adaptation of the funny and touching film classic “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is the weekend and December fun run at LaPorte Little Theatre, opening Nov. 29 and playing weekends through Dec. 8. Shows are 7:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays at the stage space at 218 A St. in downtown LaPorte. Tickets are $15 for students and $18 for seniors 55 and older and $19 for adults by calling 219-362-5113 or www.laportelittletheatreclub.com.

Bret and Nate

Bret Michaels at 61 is still the guitar-wielding stage party force fans love to cheer for while following his antics on and off stage. Whether it’s his NBC TV time and reputation winning Season 9 in 2010 of Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” or his romantic adventures, Bret is always the showman. He is playing one concert at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30 on the Hard Rock Live stage. As a bonus for the evening, local country claim-to-fame Nate Venturelli performs at 9 p.m. on the free entertainment Hard Rock Café Stage. Tickets for Bret Michaels are $49.50 at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana at 5400 W. 29th Ave. or call 219-228-2383; hardrockcasinonorthernindiana.com/entertainment.

‘Fabulous’ Towle Theatre

A yuletide festive favorite for two decades, the 2024 run of Towle Theater’s “A Fabulous 50’s Christmas” is extra special and laced with memories at 5205 Hohman Ave. in downtown Hammond. Created in 2003 by Jeff Casey and his equally creative counterpart Kevin Bellamy, the show is a stage romp of retro scenes and costuming, vintage commercial salutes and musical merriment with favorite holiday tunes, all in homage to the TV Christmas specials of yesteryear hosted by Andy Williams, Perry Como and others. Casey and Bellamy, who are retiring following the holidays, are teamed once again with musical director Elizabeth Tuazon. Performances are from Nov. 30 through Dec 15 with 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday curtain times and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $26.70 at 219-937-8780 or www.towletheater.org.

Bah-humbug

In this timeless musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” miserly Ebenezer Scrooge delivers his dialogue in song as he undergoes his profound experience of redemption over the course of a Christmas Eve night after being visited by the ghost of former partner Jacob Marley and then the parade of ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. The stage score and book are closely adapted from the music and screenplay of the 1970 musical film “Scrooge,” which stars Albert Finney in the title role. “Scrooge!” has 12 performances 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 29-December 15 at Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. Tickets are $25 or $23 for seniors, students and military. At 104 Indiana Ave. on the main stage. 219-548-9137; memorialoperahouse.com.

Dickens delight

Actor Grant Fitch has earned stage acclaim for his one-man portrayal of author Charles Dickens. After a year away from his usual holiday stage tradition, Fitch is back and teamed with 4th Street Theatre, 125 N. 4th St. in Chesterton, to present his delightful run of his one-man telling of “A Christmas Carol” as he assumes all of the two dozen character roles for performances Nov. 30 through Dec. 7 with Saturday show times 7 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday. All tickets are $20 with a $5 student option and for ages 5 and younger available by calling 219-926-7875 or 4thstreetncca.com.

Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa@comhs.org.