THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR DEC 9 - 15 

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Jim Gaffigan
For anyone who thinks overnight success is the only real path to the big time, kindly witness the career of Jim Gaffigan. The Indiana native—inspired by his admiration for fellow Hoosier David Letterman—launched his attempt at a comedy career in the early 1990s, just as the standup boom of the 1980s was petering out. Only after nearly a decade of trying on different stage personas and styles did he finally land an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1999, leading his slow climb into sitcoms (like The Ellen Show and My Boys) and a successful career headlining big venues as a standup comedian.

And considering how effective his now-familiar on-stage persona has become, it's kind of hard to believe that it took him a while to discover it. In his Netflix specials and Grammy-nominated comedy albums, Gaffigan has established his voice through his generally clean jokes, his ubiquitous self-deprecating humor based on his pale, doughy appearance, and ... well, a voice. It's that squeaky, third-person commentary he occasionally slips into, becoming an audience surrogate when a bit lingers for too long, or when he wants to indicate that he's in on his own joke. All evidence suggests that his fans still love it.

Gaffigan's "Fun Tour" of all-new material stops in for two Salt Lake City shows at Vivint Arena (301 W. South Temple) on Dec. 10-11, 7 p.m., with tickets $21 - $76. Proof of COVID vaccination or negative test is required for this event. Visit ticketmaster.com to buy tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

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The Best Thing About Christmas
No act of artistic creation is easy, but it's understandable if someone like Utah native Derek Hinckley—who has spent more than a decade working as a musician in Nashville—might think it would be a simple transition of his skills to writing a full-fledged musical. "'How hard could writing a musical script be?'" Hinkley recalls thinking, as observed in his artist notes for The Best Thing About Christmas. "Well, after four years of writing and re-writing and collaborating with some seriously talented and creative people, we feel really good about where it has landed.

The world-premiere production of The Best Thing About Christmas lands in Utah this week with a story inspired by Hinkley's own experience as an aspiring musical artist, focusing on another aspiring musician named Dylan. After experiencing a holiday-season tragedy that shakes his faith and his idea of what he should do with his life, he begins collaborating with his daughter on a musical script that might re-connect him to everything that matters most in life. Of the musical's songs, Hinkley continues, "they represent who I am, who I want to be, and hopefully what we can all strive to become...the best versions of ourselves,because we too have found out the best thing about this whole 'Christmas thing'... that to find ourselves we must lose ourselves in doing good."

The Best Thing About Christmas runs Dec. 10-18 at the Studio 5400 Theater in the new Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center (2525 Taylorsville Blvd., Taylorsville), with tickets $18-$25. Visit arttix.org for tickets and for current health and safety guidelines. (SR)

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live
It's hard to believe that this silly, almost too-obvious concept—a bunch of funny people sitting around and making fun of cheesy movies—is entering its 34th year. But somehow, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K to its friends) just keeps kicking, long after the initial incarnation of the show on Minneapolis local television migrated to Comedy Central in the early 1990s, long after it found a second life on then-Sci-Fi Channel, and after successful crowdfunding campaigns brought it back for new seasons in 2017 and 2018, with more new episodes due in 2022.

The MST3K brand also continues in its touring live shows, with creator and original on-screen host Joel Hodgson now working behind the scenes and producing the events. Emily Marsh—who appeared as part of the 2019 MST3K tour—has now taken over ringmaster duties as Hodgson's hand-picked successor for the "Time Bubble Tour," accompanied by the beloved puppet/robot companions Tom Servo (Conor McGiffin), Crow T. Robot (Nate Begle) and Mega-Synthia/GPC (Yvonne Freese). And those who have adored the pop-culture-savvy mockery across three decades will still find a familiar formula of riffs at the expense of a not-particularly-good movie—in this case, the early Roland Emmerich-directed science-fiction feature Making Contact—plus goofy sketches and more shenanigans.

Join Emily and the robots as they drop in to the Delta Hall of Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m., with tickets $27.50 - $199. Proof of COVID vaccine or negative test is required. Visit arttix.org for tickets and additional event information. (SR)

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Fazal Sheikh & Terry Tempest Williams: The Moon Is Behind Us
We've all tried to look for silver linings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for some, it has come in the form of the art inspired by this global calamity. On a local level, that has included the unique result of a long-distance collaboration between author Terry Tempest Williams and photographer Fazal Sheikh, in the form of the book The Moon Is Behind Us.

The two artist-activists found themselves unable to collaborate in close proximity as the result of the pandemic, with Williams in Utah and Sheikh in Switzerland. They corresponded by email during that time about the issues that mattered to them, ultimately inspiring Sheikh, in a gesture of friendship, to send Williams a package containing 30 images, meant to represent both his 30 years of artistic work and one complete cycle of the moon. Williams eventually responded with 30 letters, one for each of the images, and written one per day across another lunar cycle. The result included philosophical musings on both their individual connection and greater human connections over social movements like Black Lives Matter and work to combat climate change. They ultimately decided that their personal communication might have some larger meaning to others also coping with isolation and a desire for change.

Fittingly enough given the creative context for The Moon Is Behind Us, Sheikh and Williams will appear remotely via Zoom for a live author event, sponsored by The King's English Bookshop, on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required via Eventbrite; visit kingsenglish.com for more information. (SR)