Whether you celebrated the new year wildly or mildly, 2024 brings bevy of new and ongoing arts and nightlife selections, scrollable this week and every week.

Cirque du Soleil's "Kooza," opening Jan. 17, features two characters: The Innocent, a naïve young man, and The Trickster, a magical mentor who escorts him on a journey of discovery. Dancer-acrobat Joey Vice shares his experience as the new Trickster.

When the curtain rises on NCTC's camptastic, "Ruthless," even the most jaded audience members will find their outlook involuntarily brightened by the production's screaming unmellow zonker of color-coordinated design.

Comedian Matt Rogers, who headlines the Castro Theatre on December 20, is known for his comic skills. Now he's gone full pop star mode, recording a slickly produced yet dryly witty album, "Have You Heard of Christmas?"

San Francisco Playhouse's amiably diverting production of "Guys and Dolls" may well succeed at bringing a warm, fuzzy feeling to fans of the Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows chestnut. A reinvention includes some deft gender-switching casting.

Since 1985 the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band has presented the "Dance-Along Nutcracker." This year the Christmas spectacular will hearken back to Halloween when they present "Dance-Along Nutcracker 2023: The Nutmare Before Christmas."

After a hiatus of several years, Lisa Geduldig's ever-popular Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, a Christmas tradition in San Francisco, is back in Chinatown. The show will take place on Saturday December 23 through Monday December 25.

The ever-popular drag parody performances of Christmas episodes of "The Golden Girls" returns. D'Arcy Drollinger shared what it's like to become the character Rose, as did Miss Coco Peru, who replaces the late Heklina as Dorothy.

From classical music and dance, to campy classics featuring your favorite drag performers, there's something on stages across the Bay Area to bring joy and inspiration to your holiday season.

"Why would anyone read reviews?!" asks the brash title character of David Cale's funny, brainy one-actor play "Harry Clarke," now at the Berkeley Rep. "Surprise me!"

"Sometimes you get surprised," said Eric Bean of the 50-odd cities he's visited as one of the 134 members of "The Lion King" touring company that opens at the Orpheum Theatre this week. "In Tulsa, Oklahoma, there are four different drag brunches!"

"I don't consider myself a stand-up comedian at all," drawled Matt Mathews. Nevertheless, his comic wit that gained popularity online has led to nearly sold-out shows nationwide.

If you're more interested in holding tight to the things you're thankful for than in cranking up the amperage of your holiday cheer, the Aurora Theatre's production of "1984" may be just the ticket for you.

Get ready to stuff yourself, we mean with arts and nightlife events, in this week's Going Out.