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The merry madcaps of Austin's La Fenice are honoring – or, perhaps, skewering – or, okay, maybe both – all those Christmas TV specials from the Seventies and Eighties with this wild show that features cameos from stars of the local theatre and improv scenes: Indigo Rael! Shannon McCormick! Kareem Badr! Marc Majcher!: Jessica Von Schramm! Rudy Ramirez! American Berserk Theatre! And many, many more. Bonus: Live music by Armadillo Road.

This is the ninth annual Incident, featuring local and national puppet artists performing all-new, short, original puppet works for adult audiences. Repeat – definitely for adult audiences. Funny, sweet, deep, enchanting: It's all here. Featuring Marsian De Lellis from Los Angeles with an unconventional love story that explores the synesthetic relationship between objects and personalities. Brought to you by the object-manipulative savants of Glass Half Full and Trouble Puppet, with support from the Puppet Slam Network.

This ZACH Theatre adaptation of the Dickens classic, directed by Abe Reybold and starring the estimable Jaston Williams, is "a musical sleigh ride through rhythm and time, infusing the traditional Victorian story with a score that spans all genres and eras." It's riotously redolent of the ghosts of Motown past, but of course you know the basic Ebenezer of this thing: crotchety, cratchity, creepy, and (ultimately) heartwarming. And, what's that? You think there's an awful lot of Dickens going on in town lately? Our Robert Faires tells you why.

The players of the fictional KPNF radio station re-create Dickens' cherished masterpiece in this Nathan Jerkins adaptation, with all the characters brought to life by a small company of voice actors and live foley sound effects. Directed by Ryan Crowder for Penfold Theatre. And, what's that? You think there's an awful lot of Dickens going on lately? Our Robert Faires tells you why.

Now here's the Tony-winning musical based on Alison Bechdel's bestselling graphic memoir, featuring music by Jeanine Tesori, with book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. Lisa Scheps directs for Ground Floor Theatre, with musical direction by Adam Roberts. And starring – FTW, we daresay – Sarah Marie Curry as Alison, Taylor Flanagan as Medium Alison, and Mariela Denson as Small Alison.

Different Stages presents this beloved Charles Dickens romp about the adventures of an orphaned blacksmith's apprentice who's fashioned to become a gentleman. You know – it's that Pip! Karen Jambon directs a colorful cast of characters. And, what's that? You think there's an awful lot of Dickens going on in town lately? Our Robert Faires tells you why. Oh, and reviews this very show.

This Rupert Holmes musical adaptation of Dickens' final narrative comes, through infrastructural battles recently won, to Austin Playhouse there in the ACC Highland complex, with a star-studded cast under the direction of Don Toner. Wait, you say? Who is this … Dickens? And what did our reviewer think of the show?

Does it return? Of course it returns – this show is more evergreen than a forest of Christmas trees. David Sedaris' outlandish tale of a (oh, shall we say disgruntled) Macy’s elf jingles to life again in this latest incarnation, with that costumed Crumpet waxing snarktastic on the talent it takes to juggle tinsel, tearful tots, and not-so-sober Santas during what's hailed as the most wonderful time of the year. J. Robert Moore – the bright star of Zach's one-man show Buyer and Cellar a couple years ago – plays Crumpet, and Nat Miller directs, so we reckon this year's holiday-skewering is doubleplusgood to go. But does our reviewer think so, too?

Street Corner Arts is, in fact, damned proud to present this show – the full title of which is We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, from the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 – and proud they should be, as Jackie Sibblies Drury's "stunning, self-referential theatrical collage" engages with abominable history to tackle the subject of racism and the theatre community’s own (sometime self-serving) attempts at engaging with this subject. That (award-winning) Liz Fisher directs a fine cast, but – is this show as powerful good as it sounds? Our reviewer Elizabeth Cobbe sure thinks so.