Several hours ago, the curtain came down on the run of "The FPT Christmas Revue". It was a project that I was closely involved with since the beginning of this year; a journey full of challenges, frustrations, joy, and remarkable achievements while bringing a totally new work to the stage.
I must thank Thom Hofrichter and Joel D. Scribner for this amazing opportunity. These two gentlemen gave me a chance to showcase my perspective on Christmas and they were supportive of the whole process. I owe them a lot and I look forward to working with them on other shows at First Presbyterian Theater.
Over 1000 people came out to see the show over its run and saw a plethora of talent. We had 30+ people in the cast, ages ranging from five to 70-something. We had members of five different families within the cast, a wide range of Christmas songs to sing, and each member of the cast gave it their all every night on the boards.
To my fellow cast members, thank you so much. I got to know many of you in those small moments of waiting around for another go around on a particular song or waiting for your moment to rehearse your lines. I shared your moments of accomplishment, swapped the latest jokes about Tiger Woods, and laughed with all of you throughout the whole process.
Thanks to all of you wonderful people for making this Christmas incredibly special. I say to all of you:
Of course, we can't forget this guy either...
Imagine answering a voicemail left on your cell phone in July and hearing the legendary voice of Stan Freberg returning your phone call! It was that phone call that began the process of securing the right to perform "Green Chri$tma$" for possibly the first time live on stage anywhere.
Stan and his wife Hunter provided our little theater group the greatest gift of the year. We had enormous fun putting it on the stage and the audience immensely enjoyed the work. Every night, you could hear a pin drop when our Bob Cratchit reminded everyone about "whose birthday we're celebrating".
Freberg revealed to us a never-before hilarious story behind the creation of "Green Chri$tma$". Ever wonder what cash register they used for the end of that song? Download to hear the story for yourself along with a Christmas greeting from Stan himself:
Stan Freberg - Green Chri$tma$ Greetings
Happy listening...
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