EXECUTIVE BRIEFCASE
Merry-Achi Christmas
Holiday-themed mariachi music, Mexican dance. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Dec. 13, 8 p.m., December 14, 2 p.m., 7 p.m. Tickets: $30, $45, $60, available at box office or at www.cerritoscenter.com.
Just can’t do “The Nutcracker” again this year? Try a Mexican holiday show, complete with soaring trumpets and colorful dancers. “Merry-Achi Christmas,” an annual mariachi and dance show at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, stars Jose Hernandez and his Mariachi Sol de Mexico. Also on the bill: the all-women Reyna de Los Angeles mariachi group and the Ballet Folklorico del Pacifico, a troupe of some 40 traditional Mexican dancers. Expect musicians in charro suits, bombastic showpieces and crooned ballads that are the hallmark of mariachi. While not above corny, “Merry-Achi Christmas” is more upscale than typical Mexico restaurant entertainment fare. Sol de Mexico also performs on the classical music circuit, while Ballet Folklorico has gotten its share of critical acclaim.
,Michael Lyster
