Eric Schaeffer’s stage adaptation of the iconic 1965 animated Peanuts special for kids’ company Emerald City Theatre amounts to little beyond transcribing the dialogue verbatim, with little regard for how it might play live onstage. Turns out, awfully clumsily. Director Ann Filmer's cheery cast struggle to find the sort of timing that might give 45 minutes of well-worn bits and halfhearted dance numbers a sense of momentum. The de rigueur holiday sing-along at the end is fun, although a rousing "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah" is bizarre after the show's hyper-Christian message. —Justin Hayford

Price: $15-$27