The longstanding holiday tradition continues as PBS and BYUtv present Joy: Christmas with Tabernacle Choir. A heartwarmingly 90-minute special that has spanned more than two decades, featuring an impressive lineup of stage and screen.
This year Broadway star Michael Maliakel (Disney’s Aladdin) and actress Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey) join the ranks of top stars featured in the past. Performers like Gladys Knight, Roma Downey, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Natalie Cole, Sutton Foster, Jane Seymour, Kristin Chenoweth and even the Sesame Street Muppets.
“The skill is unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of,” Maliakel told TV Insider of the presentation and preparation. “The army of people you all see and the massive operation behind the scenes to make it all work. The fantastic crew, the sound folks, the wardrobe…Certainly, putting together a big Broadway show like Aladdin also requires a huge effort and a lot of people every night. It makes the operation feel like a high school in comparison with the orchestra and the number of camera angles they were able to capture. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, but again, I think they’ve had some practice.”
Credit: © 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nicol was also impressed by everyone involved. She felt the caring environment of the talented group on a deeper level. “One of the things that impressed me hugely was just before the Saturday night performance, a large chunk of tooth fell out of my head,” she explained. “It turns out if you have a choir of 300 plus, there are at least three dentists. So, I had my pick. Somebody got to me immediately to sort it out. That was pretty impressive.”
From the logistic perspective, she witnessed just how hard the actors worked to get their scenes together. Nicol worked through a few sessions preparing for showtime. “I went on a crash course in teleprompter with eight massive teleprompters,” she added. “That was fun learning very quickly to work that. Even though it was quite rushed in terms of not having a lot of time, there was peace and calmness around the place because they’ve done it so often. They are kind people and look after you. You don’t feel under pressure really because they know what you need to do, and you do it. It’s very exciting because you have thousands of people to perform in front of.”
Maliakel lent his powerful vocals to the music of the world-famous Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. His set list includes timeless classics like “God Helps the Outcasts” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and seasonal favorites “Joy to the World, and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas,” His rendition of “I Wonder as I Wander” brings a personal family connection. Adding to the show is a fun take on “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas” from Home Alone 2. Maliakel grew up singing in the church choir and watching the show. It was a come full-circle moment.
“I don’t think at that point my mom figured putting her son in the church choir would lead down this road,” the star, who finished up a three-year stint playing Aladdin said. “In many ways, those moments were foundational as to why I do this today.”
Credit: © 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
As the evening’s narrator, Nicol told the tale of “Les Misérables” author Victor Hugo’s selfless care for the impoverished children in his community. Actors on an expansive stage took the audience on a journey back in time. The true story sent the message of what love and compassion could do for others.
Nicol shared she told the team very early on in the process that her brother, who was English and lived in South Carolina for many years, had been wanting to see the Tabernacle Choir forever. He watched it on TV every year.
“He could never get a ticket because it’s hard to get a ticket,” she remembered. “They picked up on this immediately and flew my family out to South Carolina. I’ll tell you what is poignant about this. I’m sorry to say this was last December that happened. He passed away in August. He got to meet [music director] Mack [Wilberg] and got to see the show and got to see his little sister in the middle of that stage. That was a huge gift. The fact this was his last year on this planet makes it that much more special.”
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The special was filmed in December 2023 to air this year. Nicol and Maliakel were featured among a 500-person-strong cast including The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Orchestra at Temple Square, Bells at Temple Square, and Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble. The program was performed before three live audiences in Salt Lake City’s 21,000-seat Conference Center at Temple Square.
“What a great pleasure it was to have Leslie and Michael as our guest artists last year,” Wilberg said. “The program last year I think was a high for I think everyone in our 24 years of presenting this program. It is true we hae done this for many years now. We know what goes into making it happen, but still every year you swallow hard and say I hope this all comes together.”
Joy: Christmas with Tabernacle Choir airings include: 8/7c, December 17, and 9:30/8:30c, December 24, PBS. The PBS.ORG and PBS Video App will also be streaming the program through January 1.
BYUtv will air the special 9/8c on December 19 with repeats through Christmas Day. It will be available to stream for free on the BYUtv app and BYUTV.ORG.
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