10 Great Christmas Gifts for the Theater Geek in Your Life
Don't know what to get the theater geek in your life for Christmas? Need a last-minute present to send to your cousin in Idaho? Here are 10 potential gift items that will help the young, old, and everyone in between give their regards to Broadway.
1. TheaterMania's Gold Club
TheaterMania's Gold Club is the gift that keeps on giving all year long. That's because as a Gold Club member, your loved one will get 365 days of access to a private, curated list of shows to see in New York City for five dollars a pop. And it's not just theater! In addition to plays and musicals, the Gold Club offers deals on opera, cabaret, concerts, museums, film, dance, and more. Even sports! — Bethany Rickwald
2. Autographed Broadway CDs
Broadway Records, one of the major music labels for cast and solo albums, has a wide assortment of signed CDs available for the theater geek in your life, all at very reasonable costs. Solo albums will only set you back $25, with autographs from the likes of Laura Osnes, Norbert Leo Butz, Sierra Boggess, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Cast albums range from $35 (Big Fish signed by Kate Baldwin) to $75 for the biggest-ticket item, The Visit, complete with signatures by Chita Rivera and composer John Kander. — David Gordon
3. LaScala Optics Iolanta Opera Glasses
These fabulous opera glasses magnify 3x and come in a variety of colors (I would personally choose burgundy and gold). You can hold them up to your eyes with the elegant lorgnette handle, so you can look great while closely inspecting the stage. I legitimately want these, preferably before my next show at the Metropolitan Opera. The performers and designers at the world's largest opera house do a great job projecting to the last row of the family circle, but I would have loved to enjoy some of the more minute costume details in Akhnaten while it was happening live, as opposed to discovering them in photos. — Zachary Stewart
(photo via BroadwayPins.com)
4. Broadway Enamel Pins
Created by theater fan Tyson Armstrong, these handsome Broadway enamel pins are perfect for the lapels, backpacks, or pin boards of theater fans alike, and only cost $10 a piece. Show off your true love of Broadway with these collectibles, designed to look like stars ranging from Patti LuPone and Barbra Streisand to Elaine Stritch and Ben Platt. And for a really deep cut, get the Stephen Sondheim pin in celebration of his upcoming 90th birthday. — David Gordon
5. Idina Menzel's Christmas: A Season of Love
Nothing brings Broadway and the holidays together like a Christmas album from your favorite musical-theater performer. Idina Menzel is a safe bet for most Broadway fans, but her brand-new holiday album feels like an especially apropos gift in this, the year of Frozen II. It even offers extra Broadway love with its duet tracks featuring Tony winner Billy Porter, Tony nominee Josh Gad, and Ariana Grande, who, thanks to Jason Robert Brown's musical 13, we can forever claim as our own. — Hayley Levitt
(© Joan Marcus)
6. Fleabag: The Scriptures
Ballantine Books brings together the shooting scripts for both seasons of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Emmy-winning TV series. Fleabag: The Scriptures provides an inside look at the creation of this stage-play-turned-sitcom and is a fitting companion piece to both. —David Gordon
7. Beetlejuice T-Shirt
Beetlejuice has become a big fan favorite on Broadway, and audiences are already mourning its closing (scheduled for June). So if you have a Beetlejuice stan in your life, now is the time to get your merch — specifically this "I Myself Am Strange & Unusual" T-shirt. It's an iconic quote, and most likely is an accurate description of whoever you're purchasing this gift for. — Hayley Levitt
8. The Lion King Pride Lands Play Set
A deluxe children's play set inspired by The Lion King, this package comes with action figures of Simba (both child and adult), Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa, as well as a backdrop that includes a slide, launching boulder, trap door, and vine lift. This is perfect for those just introduced to the classic movie and musical, and for all those who just like to play with toys. — David Gordon
(© Matthew Murphy)
9. Hadestown on Vinyl
Few modern Broadway shows feel more appropriate for a vinyl splurge than Hadestown. Anaïs Mitchell's Tony-winning musical has a folky sound that's basically begging for the extra musical warmth a record player offers. And it was a concept album long before it was a Broadway show, so even the music snobs on your list who might typically turn up their noses at a showtune will have nothing to complain about. Pair this gift with your recipient's favorite whiskey and know they're in for some mythically cozy winter evenings. — Bethany Rickwald
10. Grease: The Director's Notebook
Featuring interviews with stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Stockard Channing, as well as photos, call sheets, conceptual images, and an annotated shooting script, Grease: The Director's Notebook is a walk down memory lane from Randal Kleiser, who directed the beloved 1978 film. Kleiser explores how Grease has become a cultural landmark, offering a never-before-seen look at its creation. — David Gordon
