The treasured Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir special returns to PBS for the 21st year. Broadway star Michael Maliakel and beloved British actress Lesley Nicol (from Downton Abbey, the Masterpiece TV series) join the iconic Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a stunning 90-minute theatrical program, illustrating that the real meaning of Christmas is opening our hearts to all.
Maliakel sings Choir Music Director Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of “God Help the Outcasts” from the musical and film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based on author Victor Hugo’s novel. Nicol narrates the true story of Hugo and his wife hosting a Christmas feast for impoverished children, as actors and dancers bring the story to life on stage.
Nicol and Maliakel join a cast of over 500 people, including the Choir and Orchestra, Bells at Temple Square, and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble. They create a rich and moving celebration of the season with French carols and cherished Christmas classics such as “Joy to the World,” “I Wonder as I Wander,” “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot like Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir airs Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. EST. It will air again on Dec. 24 at 9:30 p.m. EST.
The program is also currently streaming on pbs.org and the PBS App.