Christmas is Sunday.
And you have yet to start shopping.
Oh, we understand. Weâve been there.
Our favorite what-do-I-do gifts? Music, theater, dance. They come off as well-thought-out presents and, well, they are art-centric. How can you go wrong?
1. Tickets to Arizona Theatre Company’s “Fiddler on the Roof.” This classic musical resonates today, and this production, which plays through Dec. 31, is breathtaking. It has music everyone knows. OK, maybe not everyone, but songs such as “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” popped into the mainstream and never left. You’ll be thanked long after the curtain comes down . It’s at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets are $51-$83 at arizonatheatre.org or 622-2823.
2. Renee Taylor’s “My Life on a Diet.” Taylor’s spin as Fran’s mom in the TV series “The Nanny” won her legions of fans — and no wonder: She was a complete hoot. So expect fun things when Invisible Theatre brings Taylor and her one-woman show, “My Life on a Diet,” to Tucson Jan. 7-8. Directed by her actor husband Joe Bologna, it weaves a story that takes us through her quest for stardom, her life and her adventures with fad diets, some suggested by the likes of Cary Grant and Joan Crawford. This is a gift of laughter — one of the best kinds to give and get. It’s at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Tickets are $42 at invisibletheatre.com or 882-9721.
3. Membership to the Tucson Museum of Art. It’s a bargain: $50 for individuals, $60 for a family. Perks for members include unlimited free admission to the museum, invites to openings, and discounts for classes and at the gift shop. One of TMA’s current exhibits is Modern Art from its permanent collection — it includes works by Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso and Renoir. Another exhibit on view now is “Henry C. Balink: Native American Portraits,” from TMA’s collection of the Art of Latin America. That collection is an impressive one. TMA is at 140 N. Main Ave. tucsonmuseumofart.org or 624-2333.
4. Brahms Requiem. Tickets to Tucson Symphony Orchestra performances are always appreciated, but they might be especially so for TSO’s Brahms Requiem concert Jan. 20-22 at the Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. We are betting that this one will sell out early. And just think: you were smart enough to snag a couple of tickets as a gift. Joining the musicians will be the TSO Chorus, baritone Andrew Craig Brown, and soprano Heidi Stober. Markus Huber conducts. Tickets are $30-$86. tucsonsymphony.org or 882-8585.
5. Artifact Dance Project’s “Surrounding Dillinger.” Artifact combines several art forms — theater, live music, dance among them — to bring us a company that is new, fresh and exciting. The much-anticipated “Surrounding Dillinger” will be, we predict, a sell-out — which regularly happens for Artifact performances. So securing tickets now for the March 23-26 performances at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1737 E. University Blvd., on the University of Arizona campus will win you high praise. They are $29 at artifactdanceproject.org or 235-7638.
