Christmas
Amahl and the Night Visitors from Painted Sky Opera is Beautiful Christmas Message
The Three Kings of Amahl and the Night Visitors.
By: Elizabeth Hurd
On Christmas Eve, 1951, NBC premiered the first opera written for television. It was called Amahl and the Night Visitors and it became a Christmas Eve tradition for 15 years. Gian Carlo Menotti, noted Italian-born American composer, based the opera on The Adoration of the Magi by Hieronymus Bosch. Many families gathered in front of their television sets to view the opera and Amahl’s beautiful story. However, things change and in 1966 NBC decided to update their programming, but the story of… Continue reading
UCO’s Snow Business is Simply Divine!
Libby McCormack and the Elves and Elfettes in UCO’s There’s No Business Like Snow Business.
UCO’s Musical Theatre Christmas concert is a lovely holiday revue featuring Christmas numbers from a variety of stage musicals. There’s No Business Like Snow Business is a gloriously festive night at the UCO Jazz Lab. The show opens with the full cast performing “We Need a Little Christmas” and then breaking into smaller ensembles and solos. There are performances from several well-known Broadway shows, and they’re sung professionally by the UCO Musical Theatre students. The titles are helpfully displayed onscreen above the stage, and… Continue reading
Lyric Theatre’s A Christmas Carol Honors the Holiday Season
Dirk Lumbard and Charlie Monnot in Lyric’s A Christmas Carol. Photo by K. Talley Photography.
A central theme of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol is honoring Christmas. Not just during the holiday season, but year-round. Shortly after the publication of the famous novella, it was adapted for the stage and began its first production run in 1844. The Victorian Era story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and the transformation he undergoes one fateful Christmas Eve is ubiquitous during the holiday season. Lyric Theatre’s adaptation by Producing Artistic Director Michael Baron is now in its ninth consecutive year, and it’s… Continue reading
It’s a Wonderful Life is a Unique Holiday Experience at The Pollard
Joshua McGowen, Kara Chapman, and Jared Blount (Foley artist) in It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
Christmas is a busy time for theatres. Everyone seems to get into a Dickens-y spirit this time of year, with ghosts and Humbugs in every theatrical production you can find. A welcome break from tired traditions is It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. This production heralds back to the days of yesteryear, before iPads and streaming services flooded our airwaves, and brainwaves, at a constant, break-neck pace. Radio plays featured casts reading scripts over the air, breaking for commercials… Continue reading
UCO Presents the Musical Revue There’s No Business Like Snow Business
From Left: Shafer Wilkerson, Hagen Wano, and Sierra Sikes star in the upcoming There’s No Business Like Snow Business at the UCO Jazz Lab.
It’s finally here! The holiday season hits hard and fast this week, with Christmas lights going up everywhere and early shopping already starting. Always in the holiday spirit, UCO’s musical theatre department presents another fun night of music with their latest themed revue. There’s No Business Like Snow Business features holiday songs, fun costumes, and a cheery, wintery show at the UCO Jazz Lab. Like their annual Halloween revue Macabret, Snow Business puts a Christmas… Continue reading