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REVIEW: Magnificent and visually-stunning, Holiday Pops offers flawless holiday cheer

Posted on December 31, 2016 by The Sleepless Critic

Woven into a wide spectrum of Christmas carols, spiritual hymns, and holiday music capped off with a rousing sing-along, is the stuff that makes the Holiday Pops so appealing each year. Whether it’s through the excitement of the all volunteer Tanglewood Festival Chorus or maestro Keith Lockhart sharing his own Christmas memories, The Boston Pops adds their own unique, personal flair to each heartfelt performance, making it easy to alleviate the stress of the season and happily embrace what truly matters each year. In its 21^st season, The Holiday Pops at Boston Symphony Hall continues through December 31. The Boston Pops also offers special presentations of the film, “Back to the Future” with live orchestra and New Year’s Eve led by acclaimed bandleader, Bo Winiker. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Elegantly adorning the intrinsically-detailed gold balconies are white, twinkling lights and multi-colored bulbs on thick, festive wreaths, just a sampling of the stunning, festive surroundings inside Symphony Hall. The hall also offers its share of playful, humorous decor including orchestra harps topped off with Santa hats. During the show, the stage spontaneously came to life with a variety of scenery reflected above the stage, from flickering candles to sweeping, dancing snowflakes. Holiday Pops also featured a stirring presentation of winter scenes created by visual artist and astronomer Jose Francisco Salgado, PhD. With a lit sky swirling violet with chiming bells, the presentation’s depiction the Northern lights to the song, The Adoration of the Magi from Three Botticelli Pictures lent a mystical, peaceful tone.

This powerful performance of Holiday Pops offered equal doses of reflective material and lightheartedness, the first half insightful and striking. A Christmas prelude that included Hark the Harold Angels Sing, kicked off a reflective, wondrous first half woven in with maestro Keith Lockhart’s personal reflections of the holiday season such as a wonderful story about his father. A lullaby sounding Christmas oratorio, Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light followed by the Hanukkah song, Light One Candle depicted sacrifice, unity, and hope. Holiday Pops also offered a jubilant calypso of Mary’s Little Boy Child, as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, dressed splendidly in black and white, playfully swayed to the beat.

Brimming with beloved classic Christmas carols and guest appearances by Santa and more, the second half of Holiday Pops was a vibrant, yuletide spectacle of Christmas cheer. While old fashioned Christmas bulbs glowed to the beat, The jolly Tanglewood Festival Chorus delivered a string of Christmas waltzes, singalongs, and more including the annual reading of Clement Charke Moore’s Twas The Night Before Christmas by special guest, NBC Boston’s Melody Mendez. Boston’s delightful, signature versions of Sleigh Ride and the incredible and amusing 12 Days of Christmas were welcome additions to the mix as Santa Claus expertly conducted the rousing Chorus. Holiday Pops gave a final encore of Let There Be Peace on Earth, as Earth shone overhead, brilliantly conveyed the quiet hope for the upcoming New Year.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has a tremendous lineup in the New Year! All performances take place at Boston Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for tickets to any of BSO’s upcoming performances, through SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200, and at the Symphony Hall Box Office, 301 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, Massachusetts. Listen to the Holiday Pops at home with “A Boston Pops Christmas: Live from Symphony Hall” album available through ITunes, Amazon, and Amazon MP3.

Illuminated by candlelight, Saint Anselm College celebrates the season with their 18th annual DecemberSong

Posted on December 16, 2016 by The Sleepless Critic

Photo courtesy of Keri McAndrews For more of her work, visit photosbykeri.com. Nativity scene set up at Saint Anselm College.

Photo courtesy of Keri McAndrews For more of her work, visit photosbykeri.com. Photo of Saint Anselm College Alumni Hall.

Photo courtesy of Keri McAndrews For more of her work, visit photosbykeri.com. Cross situated over the altar inside the Abbey Church.

Photo courtesy of Keri McAndrews For more of her work, visit photosbykeri.com. The domed acoustic ceiling inside the Abbey Church.

A vast, gorgeous, brightly-lit Christmas tree sits at Davison Hall, signaling the start of one of Saint Anselm College’s one of the most highly anticipated times of the year. In a whirlwind of seasonal events such as their charitable program, Christmas Giving Tree Project to their annual Gingerbread Decorating Contest, it is no wonder that collegemagazine.com hailed Saint Anselm College as the top college with Christmas spirit. Adorned in Christmas wreaths and a variety of festive decorations strewn up by students and staff alike, Saint Anselm College revels in this exciting and joyful season. Click here for more on Saint Anselm College located in Manchester, New Hampshire and follow them on Facebook.

Also a time of contemplation and community in the Benedictine tradition, the community, students, colleagues, and alumni cherish gathering each year at The Abbey Church to celebrate DecemberSong, a free event by candlelight, at the start of the advent season. Featuring the Saint Anselm Abbey Choir, this year’s DecemberSong service took place on a peaceful, clear, and chilly Saturday evening on December 3 at Saint Anselm Abbey Church, 100 Saint Anselm College Drive in Manchester, Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m.

Brick laden and adorned with an amber jeweled cross floating aloft the altar, the Abbey Church offers a warmth and subtlety in its surroundings. Overhead is a domed, carefully detailed acoustic ceiling that gathers light and reverberates sound. A full house greeted the Saint Anselm Abbey Choir when they entered the church dressed in black in white, each carrying a single lit candle. Their voices lift and resonate, greeting the church with Bach’s Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme. What followed was an evening of well known advent songs such as O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and Ave Maria, traditional Christmas songs such as The First Noel and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, and in between inspirational readings, prayer, and sacred scriptures shared by candlelight. Readings included A Christmas Hymn by Martin Luther, advent hymns, and Susan Cherwien meditations. Led by Director of Liturgical music Eric J. Bermani and accompanied by Brother Andrew Thornton, DecemberSong published the words and music of the evening’s songs to encourage audience participation.

First envisioned by Director Emeritus of the Choir, Father Bede Camera O.S.B, this year marks DecemberSong’s 18^th year and the Saint Anselm Abbey Choir will celebrate their 30^th anniversary in 2017. Click here for further information about the Saint Anselm College Choir.

REVIEW: Massasoit Theatre Company’s ‘Miracle on 34th Street the Musical’ a faithfully-festive, whimsical adventure

Posted on December 15, 2016 by The Sleepless Critic

The cast of Massasoit Theatre Company’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street the Musical.” Cast as the Rockettes and a train conductor.

miracles-kelly-hines-and-austin-archabal

Photo courtesy of Jeanne Rocheteau. From L to R: Austin Archabal as Susan and Kelly Hines as Doris in Massasoit Theatre Company’s “Miracle on 34th Street the Musical”

It is easy to see why Massasoit Theatre Company selected Miracle on 34^th Street the Musical as part of its 50^th anniversary season. While holiday shows often delve into the true meaning of the Christmas season, Miracle also festively explores with heartwarming humor what makes one shun imagination and blind faith for solemn practicality. It also reminds the audience what makes faith in everything so precious. Directed by Nathan Fogg, produced by Mark Rocheteau, and choreographed by Samantha Brior Jones, Massasoit Theatre Company continues its run of Miracle on 34^th Street the Musical through Sunday, December 18. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Set in New York City on Thanksgiving Day prior to an impressive depiction of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Kelly Hines as Doris is in the midst of a crisis. The Santa Claus they hired for the parade is out of commission at the last minute. Enter Craig O’Connor as charismatic and whimsical Kris, who may be just what Macy’s is looking for. This family friendly, classic tale is further enhanced by its beautiful, uplifting score by Meredith Wilson, who co-penned another beloved musical classic, The Music Man with Franklin Lacey. Massasoit’s Theatre Company’s Miracle on 34^th Street the Musical delves into familiar carols such as It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas as well as catchy, playful, and original numbers such as She Hadda Go Back, a song reminiscent of Music Man’s memorable, comedic number, Trouble. Each number offers deeper and meaningful insight into each character as well as heighten the show’s inherent message without veering off course.

Kelly Hines portrays Doris’s irrepressibly determined nature right down to her poised chin. Protective and practical, Hines exudes a sweet chemistry with Austin Archabal as Doris’s precocious, but curious daughter Susan, especially evident during their harmonious number, Arm in Arm. Hines also shows a new and incalculable side to her when she meets Matt Torrance as personable, but disciplined Fred Gailey. Hines offers an impassioned performance, especially with the number, You Don’t Know.

Austin Archabal shines as Susan, demonstrating her mother’s spunk, but peppered with wide-eyed wonder. She has natural and touching chemistry with each cast member, but is most memorable with Craig O’Connor’s wise, whimsical, and with a certain twinkle portrayal of bearded and spectacled Kris, especially during the number, Expect Things to Happen.

With equal twinkle and charisma is Matt Torrance’s brilliant performance as Fred. With smooth, silvery vocals, natural tap skills, and personable nature, Torrance is captivating in each scene and takes the humorous numbers, She Hadda Go Back and Look, Little Girl to a new level.

In a three piece suit, glasses, and an often frenzied look, Alexander Hagerty adds a hefty dose of zany humor as enthusiastic, and at times, bumbling Macy’s store assistant Marvin Shellhammer. From his wild antics and outlandish jingles, Hagerty is a comedic scene stealer. Possessing a melodic alto, Athan Mantalos also delivers a forthright and commanding performance as R.H. Macy.

From the portrayal of iconic holiday figures such as the Rockettes and Raggedy Ann and Andy to name a few to extraordinary and imaginative characters, the entire cast embraces holiday cheer set to a lively, ‘50s city tone and enhanced by sets depicting colorful city skylines, bright, detailed Christmas decorations, and a wide variety of creative costumes by Jennifer Spagone. Above all, Massasoit’s Theatre Company’s Miracle on 34^th Street the Musical depicts just what love and letting go will do.

Massasoit Theatre Company’s 50^th anniversary season presents their holiday production of Miracle on 34^th Street the Musical continuing through Sunday, December 18. All performances are held at Buckley Performing Arts Center, 1 Massasoit Boulevard in Brockton, MA. Click here for tickets and for further details of their 50^th season. Follow them on Facebook for the latest updates.