Making sure these carols are not forgotten
Snow is on the ground, temperatures have been recorded below zero and inflatable Santas have been in Walmart for about a month now — the holiday spirit is in the air.
For many in Utah, experiencing the holidays means Michael McLean’s “The Forgotten Carols,” celebrating its 20th anniversary Nov. 29 and 30 in the Kent Concert Hall at USU.
“Twenty years ago, when “The Forgotten Carols” was first released, I did a little promotional tour introducing my story and songs to the public,” said Michael McLean, creator of “The Forgotten Carols.” “The show was sort of an extended author’s reading in which I played all the characters. I never imagined that 20 years later, over a million tickets would have been sold, and that the show would have evolved into what it is today.”
McLean also published a collection of music for the LDS community.
“We are very fortunate here in Utah to have talent like McLean,” said Craig Jessop, dean of the Caine College of the Arts. “McLean was the producer of ‘Music and the Spoken Word,'” the weekly Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast, “prior to my work on the choir. It was in that capacity that I came to know Michael McLean. He is a very energetic and creative man. ‘Forgotten Carols’ is a fantastic show.”
One “Forgotten Carols” veteran spoke of McLean’s charm in addition to his talent.
“Michael McLean is a very sweet man,” said Kristin Riches, a USU student who sang alto in the “Forgotten Carols” chorus four years ago. “He’s down to earth and extremely, extremely hilarious and amusing. He just has so much energy; I don’t know how he does it all. It’s incredible.”
McLean said he loves coming to USU and performing for his friends and students there. He said he hopes the audience will fall in love with the show.
“The Forgotten Carols” is about bringing the spirit of Christmas alive through music, McLean said. “I believe people love the holidays, and at the heart of that love are the traditions that make Christmas memorable,” he said. “Now that ‘The Forgotten Carols’ has been around long enough to become a tradition for many families, I think the spirit of that tradition has become sort of contagious … and I’m grateful.”
According to the show’s official website, “The Forgotten Carols” is about a practical nurse who has no time for Christmas but must care for John, a supposedly crazy patient. John is not like she thought, however, and warms through her hardened heart with carols of the forgotten characters in the Christmas story.
Riches said the play brings the “true meaning of Christmas” back to the minds of the audience members.
“People seem to be less selfish at this time of year, and the media likes to portray it,” she said. “‘Forgotten Carols’ seems to have preceded that trend. It’s never been for mass production, it’s focusing on touching one person in the audience at a time. I think it’s popular because it touches people over and over again, and they share it with their loved ones.”
McLean said he’d like to see a lot of people give the show a chance this year and hopes they bring Christmas spirit to the performance.
“We’ve worked really hard to make the experience fun and entertaining, meaningful and touching,” he said. “But a huge part of the experience is the feeling that comes when a theater like the Kent Concert Hall is filled with people re-discovering what’s been forgotten about the season, together.”
– michael.buhler@aggiemail.usu.edu