For 21 years, Touchstone Theatre has presented its hilarious and slightly off-kilter view of the holidays with its annual “Christmas City Follies.”

However with concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19), pandemic, the troupe couldn’t present the show in its theater at 321 E. 4th St., Bethlehem.

“Christmas City Follies XXI” will be presented online, premiering at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 and available for viewing through Jan. 2.

The theater will hold a watch party for the premiere, which will be available on YouTube.

“Santa brought us all the gift of reinvention this year with our 21st edition of ‘Follies,’” says Touchstone Theatre Artistic Director Jp Jordan. “It’s exhilarating to be able to take on this work from a completely new perspective.”

Touchstone decided to forgo the traditional in-person performance on the theater’s black box stage in favor of shooting this year’s Follies as a movie.

Returning are many of the show’s beloved characters, including Mary Wright’s Little Red and Bill George’s Old Guy. The show, which is made up of original sketches, characters and songs, will bring back favorite skits like the “Shopping Cart Ballet” and the “Better Not Shout Network.”

The show traditionally ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous, with subject matter that has included family stories, dancing hippos, snow camels, holiday yoga, and kazoo-playing Christmas trees.

The show has been filmed on Touchstone’s property and around Bethlehem, using iconic Christmas City sites as backdrops.

Despite the new format, Jordan says there is still a lot of what audiences have always loved about Follies, including wacky characters, original music and heartfelt reflections on the holiday season.

“We’ve also been excited to expand into the world of film-making, and the medium this year means that rather than just talk about Christmas in the Christmas City, we can actually use it as the backdrop for much of our show,” Jordan says.

He says Touchstone is grateful to the local businesses and institutions who graciously shared their space with the performers and their socially-distanced film crew.

Touchstone typically offers a pay-what-you-will at the door ticket. Instead, it’s offering a reduced-priced ticket for those who would benefit from a discounted admission.

Tickets: www.touchstone.org; 610-867-1689

Sing for America “Elf the Musical”:

Sing For America, the theater group started by five singing siblings from Forks Township, will present in-person “Elf the Musical” at The Complex, its new rehearsal-performance space at 90 Highland Avenue in the Lehigh Valley Industrial Park IV in Hanover Township.

The production stars singer-songwriter Kendal Conrad as Jovie the Elf.

Conrad, of Pottstown, has opened for many of country music’s biggest artists, including Blake Shelton. She famously sang a duet onstage with Keith Urban at Musikfest in Bethlehem. She was last seen on stage as Holly Golightly in Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” at Civic Theatre of Allentown.

Conrad’s single “Leader of the Pack” garnered more than 25 million views on Tiktok and more than 1 million plays on Soundcloud.

“Elf the Musical” is based on the 2003 movie comedy “Elf,” which stars Will Ferrell as Buddy and Zooey Deschanel as Jovie. The film was made into a musical,which opened on Broadway in 2010.

In the story, an infant Buddy crawls into Santa’s sack and is whisked to the North Pole where he is raised by elves, unaware that he is a human.

Sing for America was founded in 2003, by sisters Taryn, Tasia and Teara Gilbert; and brothers Jewel and Jorne Gilbert. Their productions raise money for local causes.

“Elf the Musical” performances are 6 p.m. Dec. 20; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22, 26, 29; 11 a.m., 7:30 p.m. Dec. 23; 3 p.m. Dec. 27; 11 a.m. Dec. 30, 31; 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2, and 3 p.m. Jan. 3.

Tickets: www.theartsarecolorblind.com/tickets/; 610-417-2189

Between the Lines’ “Holiday Extravaganza”:

Between The Lines Studio Theatre, founded by Eric Hersh and Rachel Williams, will stream “Holiday Extravaganza,” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18.

The event will feature music, stories, and maybe even some dancing.

“It’s not the show we had planned, but we’re still excited to spread some holiday cheer,” says Hersh.

The show will feature performances by Kate Pistone, Will Morris, Kirsten Almeida, Tesia Nicoli and Jason Roth.

There also will be a special appearance by Blue Organza Dharling and Urethra Vas D’Ferens from the theater’s recent “Donating Dolls,” which was a virtual drag show benefiting the Martha P. Johnson Institute.

Hersh says the company has been pleased with the response to its digital shows, which have reached audiences from Massachusetts to California.

“Holiday Extravaganza,” is being filmed and streamed at the theater’s building, 725 N. 15th St., Allentown.

Tickets: BTL2017.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/3684

“Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com