New England Hit List :: Nov. 30

Don't have plans this weekend? Now you do. We're out and about getting our Sugar Plum fairy on at Boston Ballet's "Nutcracker," paying homage at the World AIDS Day concert and 8 other "musts" this week. Want to know what's hot? Here's the hit list:

THE NUTCRACKER

Nice package! Sure, you've been more naughty than nice this year. And you've twisted Santa's innocent "Ho! Ho! Ho!" catchphrase way out of context. It's time to drudge up some Christmas cheer. Boston Ballet's beloved production of "The Nutcracker" once again lights up the holiday season in the magnificently restored Opera House. This season's production is presented by State Street Corporation, for all 36 performances. As usual, the 2007 Nutcracker will feature the entire Company, more than 200 children from Boston Ballet School, and the full Tchaikovsky score performed live by the Boston Ballet Orchestra. Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen has been fine-tuning the production since it moved to The Opera House in 2005. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 until Saturday, Dec. 29. Opera House, 539 Washington St. $30. 617-931-2787 or www.bostonballet.org.

WORLD AIDS DAY

The Longwood Symphony Orchestra honors the thousands who are living with the disease and those who passed away. World AIDS Day is Saturday, Dec. 1. The LSO's musical director, Jonathan McPhee, continues its 25th Season with a concert and a free public symposium, in collaboration with Boston University, highlighting research and best practices for HIV/AIDS. McPhee says the concert focuses on the power of human pageantry, ritual and communal experience. Together, the pieces forge a powerful illustration of people's ability to come together for the purposes of healing, celebrating and surviving. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1. Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St. $15-$28. 617-414-1527 or www.longwoodsymphony.org.

STREAMERS

In this powerful American masterpiece, four young soldiers fresh from boot camp anxiously await orders in 1965 Virginia, watching the Vietnam conflict escalate. As they struggle to make sense of their new life in the army, tensions rise over race, sexuality and class, culminating in an explosive act that changes them forever. Streamers is an unflinching exploration of the turmoil and confusion facing young men threatened by forces beyond their control. Also, there's an interesting gay subplot centered around Manhattan blue blood Richie. 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 until Sunday, Dec. 9. Huntington Theatre Company, Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington. $15-$70. 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org.

FAKER

Those looking for a "Behind the Music" retelling of Presley's rocky road to fame will be disappointed. In fact, this show about Elvis is not... about Elvis. "Faker" is a rebel with a cause, a curious examination of authenticity in a culture that increasingly values mimicry over matter. The contemporary dance piece will shimmy its way to The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston this weekend. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 and Friday, Nov. 30. Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave. $15-$20. 617-478-3103 or www.icaboston.org.

MAMMA MIA!

Inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs, writer Catherine Johnson's sunny, funny tale of family and friendship unfolds on a Greek island. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings 3 men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. Songs including "Dancing Queen," "The Winner Takes It All," "Money, Money, Money" and "Take A Chance on Me" are all featured in this feel-good night of fun and laughter. 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 until Sunday, Dec. 16. The Colonial Theatre, 196 Boylston St. $42.50-$91. 617-931-2787 or www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

Last call at Rhode Island's oldest community theater, The Community Players, as they wow audiences with their Tony Award-winning musical "La Cage aux Folles." Directed by Marcia Zammarelli, with music direction by Esther Zabinski and choreography by Peter Deffet, "La Cage aux Folles" is a saucy and uplifting celebration of love. The feel good story, with an award-winning book by Harvey Fierstein, focuses on a gay couple who run a night club in St. Tropez. Their 20 years of domestic tranquility is thrown into turmoil when their son, fathered during a one-night fling, announces he is marrying the daughter of a moral crusader. The show is filled with gorgeous costumes, fabulous dance numbers and a wonderful Jerry Herman score including "The Best of Times," "I Am What I Am" and "The Song of the Sand." 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 until Sunday, Dec. 2. Jenks Auditorium, 350 Division St., Pawtucket, RI. 508-695-4826 or www.communityplayers.org.

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

Like a good mystery? Charles Dickens passed away before solving this whodunit. Leigh Barrett, Kerry A. Dowling, Will McGarrahan, Brendan McNab and Michael Mendiola head the SpeakEasy cast for this acclaimed musical, which is loosely based on Charles Dickens' last and unfinished novel of the same name. The story revolves around John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde-like choirmaster, who is madly in love with his music student, the fair Miss Rosa Bud, who, in turn, is engaged to Jasper's nephew, Edwin Drood. When the well-liked young Drood suddenly disappears one stormy Christmas Eve, no one is above suspicion, including the Reverend Crisparkle, a local clergyman; Helena and Neville Landless, two exotic immigrants from Ceylon; and Princess Puffer, the proprietress of a sinister London opium den. SpeakEasy @ the Theater Pavilion, 539 Tremont St. Runs for three more weeks continuing 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 until Saturday, Dec. 15. $14-$54. 617-933-8600 or www.speakeasystage.com.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH

The Handel and Haydn Society presents its 154th annual performances of Messiah this weekend at Boston's Symphony Hall. British conductor Harry Christophers, whose 1997 recording of Messiah was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque, makes his Symphony Hall debut conducting the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus and Period Instrument Orchestra. Featured soloist, American tenor Tom Randle, returns to Boston after his acclaimed performance singing the title role in Handel and Haydn's production of Monteverdi's Orfeo in 2006. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 until Sunday, Dec. 2. Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave. $25-$83. 617-266-3605 or www.handelandhaydn.org

ENCHANTED

Audiences fell under the spell of "Enchanted," a fairy-tale romance that debuted as the No. 1 movie and led Hollywood out of its recent box-office doldrums. Starring Amy Adams as a cartoon princess exiled to real-world Manhattan by her fiance's wicked stepmother (Susan Sarandon), Disney's "Enchanted" cast acquits well given the material: Adams is appropriately enchanting, despite a role that's written to make any audience want to slap her silly. James Marsden makes the film worth watching as he runs amok in New York wearing the silliest costumes imaginable.

GOSSIP GIRL

This guilty pleasure, airing after Tyra Banks' "America's Next Top Model" 9 p.m. Wednesdays on CW56, continues to live up to the hype. Based on a popular series of young adult novels written by Cecily von Ziegesar, the "Cruel Intentions"-style drama chronicles the social misdeeds of a crew of prep-school brats in Manhattan. There's a lot of drinking, doping, screwing, gossiping and backstabbing narrated by a mysterious blogger called Gossip Girl. And with a cast of hotties, it's a gay man's wet dream.