In my review of the Playhouse's 'A Christmas Carol,' I suggest that Charles Dickens' social conscience, outraged in 1843 by the evils of the Industrial Revolution and greedy business operators, seems quite timely in 2008 amid the evils of unfettered financial mismanagement and greedy business operators. Have we made any progress? Come January there will be a change in our nation's leadership, after all, and that's certainly cause for hope.  

Tune into WAIF-FM this and next Thursday for a couple of special holiday editions of the talk/music program 'The Curved Air Show.' Hosted by veteran local musicians Roger Yeardley and Marcos Sastre, the next two shows will feature a variety of local musicians playing all sorts of holiday songs.  

Back in 1993 Jered told me to look for the joy in life every day. He said life is too short, so try and make each day count. He said if changes in my life weren't working out, then find other ones that would. He said he'd be there to help me find the joy. Years later, I sometimes wonder if he knew this encouragement, especially on that Christmas at the airport, would get me through.   

With rising costs for food and housing combined with a credit crunch and job layoffs for some, an old tune by singer Dolly Parton is ringing truer than ever: “Lord, it looks like a hard candy Christmas.”  

It's the time of year when theater companies present shows that veer from their routine fare in hopes of selling lots of tickets to fund subsequent productions more aligned with their mission. Know Theatre presents a tongue-in-cheek, 50-minute musical telling the story of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and the fundamental precepts of his church as interpreted by kids doing a reverent holiday skit. It's deadpan and satirical ... and also a tad mystifying.   

'Tis the season, and those jolly holiday elves at New Edgecliff Theatre have arranged for us to revisit Mrs. Jocelyn Dunbar of haute suburbia. She comes complete with a $1.98 blonde wig and a razor tongue, telling her merry tales of an overachieving older son, an underachieving younger son, a flame-tattooed, drug-devoted daughter, a crack-damaged infant grandson and, of course, her philandering husband and his holiday surprise to the Dunbar household: a screeching, mini-skirted, 22-year-old souvenir of his wartime romping in Vietnam.   

'Alice in Wonderland' is Lewis Carroll's beloved whimsical tour de force, written as a cautionary lesson for the daughters of a friend. The story has been updated by Cincinnati playwright Joseph McDonough, with the addition of appropriately silly lyrics and catchy Pop tunes by David Kisor. McDonough's book remains faithful to the spirit of the original, but he hasn't shied away from adding elements familiar to contemporary young people.  

Charles Dickens published 'A Christmas Carol' in 1843, and onstage versions of it are today a holiday staple at theaters across the English-speaking world, cash cows that sustain operating budgets for the theater season. The tale resonates not simply because Scrooge's conversion has become a familiar holiday story but because Dickens wrote with passion about the plight of everyday people.  

Stepping inside the Monmouth Theatre in Newport for Falcon Theatre's production of 'It's a Wonderful Life' feels like a step back in time. The company has transformed the intimate performance space into the Falcon Broadcasting Company, a replica of a 1940s radio broadcasting studio. The effect is fun and nostalgic.   

This week's Dish offers a multitude of ways to party this season (some green, some decadent) from EarthSave's holiday dinner to uber-indulgent parties catered by Daveed's. If you like to mix your holiday mingling with social consciousness, start with EarthSave, which will host its holiday potluck dinner Dec. 14.