Sat. Dec. 29 

Last call! We've always admired the way Ryan Landry can mix low-budget, cheeseball staging with inspired, oft barbed comedy and, sometimes, violence. He and his company Gold Dust Orphans have that mojo up and running at Machine (called Theater Machine for this) with a show conluding the run Saturday Dec. 29. (Showtime is at 8 p.m.) This production is "Silent Night of the Lambs," which Landry staged previously. (It's a stage production, not to be confused with the number of Santa-as-serial-killer schlock movies out there.) Although, actually, Kris Kringle may just have a little Hannibal Lecter in him. Clarice Starling - that would be Landry, who always makes for a fine looking woman - is a detective with antlers, and Santa, well, Santa's got a knife and an appetite for more than just cookies and milk. Tickets: $28.

1254 Boylston St., 866-811-4111 www.GoldDustOrphans.com