What to see, do and hear: “Anastasia,” Angie Aparo, “Urban Nutcracker” and more

Atlanta singer/songwriter Angie Aparo has penned major hits for others, including the Faith Hill 2002 Number One single, “Cry,” which garnered Hill a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Aparo also contributed two songs to Emotional Traffic, an album by Hill’s husband, Tim McGraw. In addition to his solo albums, Aparo’s credits include Miley Cyrus, Matchbox 20 and Edwin McCain. He has come back from a 2016 torn carotid artery, which caused a stroke that initially immobilized him and left him unable to speak or even remember his own songs. Aparo returns to Eddie’s Attic Friday night at 7 p.m. for a solo concert. Tickets start at $25.

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The Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta will present “Santa’s Favorite Chamber Music” in a concert Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Carlos Museum. The final Family Concert series of the year, the performance will feature pianists William Ransom and Julie Coucheron and an appearance by the jolly ol’ Saint Nick, who will pass out Christmas treats. The concert is designed for children, but adults will enjoy it as well. Free, with free parking available in the Fishburne and Oxford Road parking decks.

ART+DESIGN

A new exhibit by MINTerns Indigo Zahir, Oni Culbreath and Taylor Giles, IDKHOW2FEEL, opens Saturday with a reception at MINT Gallery from 6 to 11 p.m.  The three gallery interns utilize visual techniques to overcome the limitations of language. There will be live music and cocktails. The first 50 people to arrive will receive two free drink tickets.

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The Sergio Suarez exhibit Fuego Nuevo at Whitespace features a series of both large and small works that ArtsATL critic Jerry Cullum describes as a “personal, mythic interpretation of an Aztec ceremony of renewal by new fire that, in a sense, recalibrated the whole universe.” The artist is also curator of a small group show, Transmutations (the inbetweenness of things), in the Whitespec space. Suarez will give an artist’s talk on Saturday at 2 p.m.

DANCE

If you thought you couldn’t sit through one more version of A Christmas Carol, think again. Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre is performing its unique take on the Dickens tale on Friday and Saturday only. Marley Was Dead, to Begin With: A Christmas Carol Told Again features Laura Morton La Russa as Marley’s ghost (yes, Marley is a bossy businesswoman in this production). The rest of this dynamic ensemble take on the familiar roles of Scrooge, Bob and Tim Cratchit, and the ghosts from Scrooge’s past. Heath Gill is the choreographer. Original score is by Jacob Ryan Smith. Kennesaw State University Dance Theater in Marietta. Tickets start at $13.25.

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Ballethnic Dance Company’s Urban Nutcracker returns this weekend to the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, where the ballet was first performed in 1991. An annual tradition for 29 seasons, the full evening production pays tribute to Atlanta with its Coca-Cola pas de six and its setting in historic Auburn Avenue. Guest artist Paunika Jones, formerly of Dance Theatre of Harlem, portrays the Snow Queen and dances the lead in the waltz of the flowers. Karla Tyson and Calvin Gentry are Brown Sugar and the Chocolatier. Tickets start at $40.

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Black Nativity is an African American telling of the Nativity story based on the song play written by acclaimed African American poet and playwright Langston Hughes. Set in a modern-day Black church on Christmas Day, the show recreates Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and features a rousing combination of theater, song, dance, African costumes and gospel music old and new. Dawn Axam is the choreographer. Thursdays through Sundays, through December 18. Ferst Center for the Arts. Tickets start at $37.

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Atlanta Ballet kicks off its two-week run of The Nutcracker on Friday (photo above by Kim Kenney). This lavish production, choreographed by Yuri Possokhov, is visually stunning, with state-of-the-art set designs and lavish costumes. As ArtsATL editor-at-large Cynthia Bond Perry wrote about last year’s presentation: “set designer Tom Pye creates an intricate setting with a storybook feel — a warmly lit home under a moon and clouds that look like cardboard cutouts, the sky a magnificent map” of constellations. This and much more make this multi-million-dollar production a must-see this holiday season. The Tchaikovsky score will be played live by the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. Tickets start at $30. Through December 26.

BOOKS

Presidential historian and New York Times best-selling author Douglas Brinkley will discuss his latest book, Silent Spring Revolution, at the Atlanta History Center Monday at 7 p.m. The book chronicles the rise of environmental activism and inspired such landmark legislation as the Wilderness Act (1964), the Clean Air Acts (1963 and 1970) and the Endangered Species Acts (1966, 1969 and 1973), with figures that include groundbreaking author Rachel Carson and then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. Non-member tickets start at $10.