out & about recommendations

Time to buy tickets (if needed), mark your calendars, and ready up for some standout events and activities.

Hairspray, the winner of eight Tony Awards, will take the main stage at the White Plains Performing Arts Center from December 13 through January 5. Set in 1960’s Baltimore, character Tracy Turnblad dances her way onto TV’s most popular show, transforming herself from social outcast to a girl with big dreams—and even bigger hair.

Visit wppac.com/shows/hairspray for more information and to purchase tickets.

The Scarsdale Woman’s Club, on Drake Road in Scarsdale, is hosting a number of programs and activities—open to the public—in the upcoming months.

Lawrence Faltz, a medical doctor and amateur astronomer, will deliver a mix of astrophysics and mythology on December 11. The club’s annual holiday boutique, with all sale proceeds benefitting local charities, will be held on December 13 and 14. Pick up holiday decorations, wreaths, ceramic ornaments, along with other items—all while enjoying the choral singers, mulled wine and cookies.

January 8 brings a professor-led discussion of Putin’s view of the West. David Osborne, the historian at St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site, will explore “How Ruth Turner Went from Slavery to Freedom in the Shadow of St. Paul’s Church” on February 12. And for a more hands-on program, come play with clay on February 13—friendly instruction provided.

For more information and times for the above-mentioned free programs, or to join the club, call 914-723-0024 or visit scarsdalewomansclub.org/.

There truly is something for everyone to enjoy at Lyndhurst Mansion, in Tarrytown. From November 15 through December 8, M&M Performing Arts and Red Monkey Theater Group present a new Sherlock Holmes adventure: The Brook Street Mysteries, in the estate’s Grand Picture Gallery.

The Holiday Makers Market, featuring local artisans and their handcrafted goods, will take over the carriage house and an accompanying heated tent, from November 30 through December 1. You will find handmade jewelry, artisanal food and drink, unique home goods, and specialty skincare.

And what would seasonal festivities be without Mr. Dickens Tells a Christmas Carol. M&M Performing Arts returns to Lyndhurst, from December 13 through 29, to recreate this classic tale.

For more details and to purchase tickets for the performances, go to Lyndhurst.org or call 914-303-6838.

The Tarrytown Music Hall will be abuzz with activity in the coming months. Comedians James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman have taken their podcast, Small Town Murder, on the road, and will be at the Music Hall with it on December 13.

The Music Hall’s Holiday Market will run from noon to 8 P.M. on Tuesday, December 17, with a curated selection of artisan works from across the Hudson Valley. In addition to the handcrafted goods, local musicians will contribute to the holiday spirit.

The holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life—starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore and directed by Frank Capra—will take over the big screen on December 23 at 6 P.M.

On January 31, three-time Tony Award winner Patti Lupone will sing the songs that reflect her life growing up in America: from the rock and roll scene of the 50s to the socially turbulent 60s and beyond.

There’s much more to enjoy at the Music Hall. For a complete list of events, go to Tarrytownmusichall.org.

As part of their 2025 touring schedule, the visually stunning Paul Taylor Dance Company will grace the stage on February 14, at the Performing Arts Center in Purchase. Taylor’s 147 dances, spanning 64 years, are a testament to his genius as a dance maker who continually pushed the boundaries of modern dance.

Go to artscenter.org/events for details and tickets.

From December 6 through 22, The Schoolhouse Theater, in Croton Falls, will be presenting Brian Friel’s The Faith Healer, first produced in 1979. The play follows Frank Hardy, who offers the promise of redemption to the sick and suffering in the forgotten corners of the British Isles. Former New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley described the original production as “one that still blazes in recollection for me…” And the Wall Street Journal praised it as “filled with Irish lyricism.”