Brian’s picks

Maybe the only thing as funny and joyous as the Junior Mill Race Players’ annual Christmas production locally for years was director Shelli Loheide’s laughter and exuberance as she put together the shows with area youngsters. Columbus East High School student Sarah Harpring has revived the long-defunct children’s musical with “Youth and Yuletide,” to be presented at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 at East’s Clarence E. Robbins Auditorium at Marr Road and Indiana Avenue. Admission is $5.

I was a bit late to the party of loving the Frank Capra classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life”. But it literally changed my perspective on despair. With the help of Robert Hay-Smith’s Harlequin Theatre in Columbus and a few tweaks, it can do the same for you. A small cast will present “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” at the Harlequin Theatre in FairOaks Mall, 2380 25th St. in Columbus. Performances are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19 and 3 p.m. Sundays Dec. 13 and 20. Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; children younger than 12, $10 at the door. Information: 812-343-4597.