Harry Shearer and Judith Owen will celebrate Christmas in their own unique way on December 1 at BAM
Who: Harry Shearer, Judith Owen, Alan Cumming, Mario Cantone, Olympia Dukakis, Alfie Boe, Paul Shaffer, Artie Lange, Fred Willard, Béla Fleck, Peter Asher, Davell Crawford, Godfrey Daniels, Jerry Dixon, Amy Engelhardt, Keith Nelson, Doña Oxford, and the SongBirds
What: “Harry Shearer and Judith Owen’s Christmas without Tears (Does This Tree Make Me Look Fat?)”
Where: BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave.
When: Tuesday, December 1, $35-$85, 7:30
Why: Husband-and-wife Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, This Is Spinal Tap) and Judith Owen (Lost and Found, Ebb & Flow) are taking their annual “Christmas without Tears (Does This Tree Make Me Look Fat?)” holiday extravaganza to the next level this year, bringing the irreverent variety show to BAM’s elegant Howard Gilman Opera House for a performance honoring World AIDS Day in support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The tenth anniversary performance of what Shearer and Owen call “the perfect antidote to Christmas” will feature an all-star cast gathering around Paul Shaffer’s piano, including Alan Cumming, Fred Willard, Olympia Dukakis, Béla Fleck, and Mario Cantone, singing holiday favorites as well as originals that might not make Santa very happy. The second half of the former house party invites the audience to sing along, leading up to the grand finale of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” done Shearer/Owen style.