By Chuck Darrow
It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that we were getting ready for the summer season. But the sad (well, for some, anyway) fact is that it’s just a matter of weeks before we welcome the New Year. And that means it’s time for our town’s casinos to rev up the Yuletide programming in their showrooms.
This year’s holiday-entertainment smorgasbord is certainly eclectic enough, as it encompasses everything from traditional musical presentations to LGBQT-facing programs. And there are even a couple bona fide headliners. Here’s a look at the entertainment offerings in store for the most festive time of the year.
All tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.
Cirque Dreams Holidaze
The Cirque Dreams crew returns to AyCee with an extravaganza featuring Broadway-style musical numbers and an array of specialty acts who perform you-gotta-see-‘em-to-believe-‘em feats of human strength and concentration in celebration of the various holidays (Dec. 1; Ocean Casino Resort).
Brittany Lynn’s Big, Gay Holiday Cabaret
So maybe this isn’t your grandparents’ idea of a holiday pageant. That doesn’t mean it won’t be a hoot and holler as drag star Lynn hosts an evening of music and (likely outrageous) comedy in celebration of the season (Dec. 3; Resorts Casino Hotel).
Rat Pack Holiday Show
Toast the season in mid-20th-century, ultra-cool style with a program that celebrates the season and pays tribute to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. (Dec. 5; Tropicana Atlantic City).
Christmas In Concert
This new production from locally based impresario Allen Valentine should be a typically high-energy, eye-catching spin through a beloved songbook boasting eye-popping costumes, sharp choreography and a sleigh-full of beloved tunes, popular and non-secular (Dec. 7-Dec. 24; Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa).
‘A Very Merry Christmas’
Those looking for a traditional holiday musicale should find it here as tunes from the Christmas canon are performed (Dec. 9; Tropicana).
John Eddie Holiday Ho Ho Hoedown
Just the title of the presentation by singer-songwriter-TV producer (“Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley”) makes this one-nighter worth investigating. We’re not sure what Eddie and his Dirty Ol’ Band have planned, but it’s a safe bet there will be plenty of rockin’ around the old Christmas tree (Dec. 13; Resorts).
My Big Gay Italian Christmas
The fruitcake hits the fan when the oh-so-traditional Pinnuziato family’s Christmas gathering runs into the alternative lifestyle of one of its members in this continuation of the wildly popular “My Big Gay” series of theatrical comedies (Dec. 14; Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City).
Engelbert Humperdinck—A Winter World of Love
The veteran British crooner, who’s in his seventh decade of music-making, returns to our town for the umpteenth time with a presentation that will combine his signature tunes with holiday favorites (Dec. 14; Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City).
The Nutcracker
What’s Christmas without a production of the revered ballet set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky? Let’s hope we never get the answer (Dec. 15; Caesars Atlantic City).
A John Legend Christmas
There’s no debating the season’s biggest holiday-themed production is the one starring the megastar singer-songwriter. As with Humperdinck’s game plan, expect Legend to serve up a combination of his many oh-so-popular numbers and a heaping helping of Christmas ditties (Dec. 20; Borgata).
Candlelight: Holiday Special Featuring The Nutcracker & More
The latest in the series of atmospheric (they’re not called “Candlelight” concerts for nothing), classical-leaning piano recitals. This one will, of course, be chock-full of holiday melodies (Dec. 21; Resorts).
Holiday lounge pops up at Resorts
The gaming halls’ nods to the season are hardly limited to their entertainment venues. For instance, we popped into Resorts last Friday evening for the grand opening of the Candy Cane Lounge, a seasonally themed saloon that will be in operation through Jan. 3.
What is normally Bar One (located adjacent to the casino on the city side of the main floor) has been impressively transformed into a holiday party space complete with Christmasy lighting; live entertainers and DJs re also part of the mix. Beverage offerings include cocktails especially designed with the holidays in mind.
O Christmas trees
And since you can’t have Christmas without Christmas trees, you can head to Tropicana Friday at 1 p.m. to watch the tree lighting at The Quarter, the Trop’s Havana-in-the-’50s-themed retail, dining and entertainment complex. The festivities will include a performance by the Mainland Regional High School Choir, treats courtesy of various Quarter retailers and a visit by a certain gentleman from the North Pole. The ceremony ends with a light show that will be repeated daily through Dec. 26.
If you miss tomorrow’s bash (or if you just dig tree-lighting parties), head over to Bally’s Atlantic City on Dec. 6 at 4:30 p.m. That’s where and when the midtown gaming hall will light its tree, which will be planted (as it were) at the Yard, the Boardwalk-adjacent party pit.
The proceedings will be hosted by Cat Country 107’s Joe Kelly and Jahna Michal and will include free hot chocolate and other treats as well as a visit from St. Nick (you’ll also be able to donate new, unwrapped presents for the annual Toys For Tots campaign).
Def Leppard headed this way
Here’s an early present for fans of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unit: The band has been booked for a June 25, 2025 date at Borgata’s Event Center (likely the most-intimate venue they’ll be playing on their upcoming road trip). Ticket sale date and prices are TBA.
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
