By Christy Hudson
In high school, a friend of mine told me that her family had a tradition of seeing The Forgotten Carols during the Christmas season every year. I had heard of it, but I didn’t know what exactly it was until I saw it in Idaho for the first time four years ago. So, for the second time, I got to see Michael McLean’s beautiful story come to life, and to hear his beautiful original music, as part of their annual tour in Utah and neighboring locations.
The Forgotten Carols is about a stern nurse named Constance, who doesn’t leave room in her life for anything besides work. She doesn’t have any friends, she never does anything fun, and she’s too sensible to bother with trivial things like Christmas. She begrudgingly accepts the assignment to check in on an elderly man named John every day, to make sure he takes his medicine and his nap. She isn’t amused by his annoyingly cheerful personality at first, and she isn’t thrilled at his insistence to call her Connie Lou. But he tells her that he has been alive for 2000 years, and he starts to tell her the stories of his friends throughout the years, including some that were witnesses to the birth of Christ.
This is the 27th year that The Forgotten Carols has been performed for the Christmas season. McLean’s original music and story has been shared all over the country, as well as in other countries. I think the story of Jesus Christ’s birth touches a lot of people as it is celebrated this time of year.
McLean plays Uncle John, as he has done every year since it began in 1991. It isn’t hard to believe that he has the part he created and has played for 27 years down to a science. But I think, besides just the story and the music, this show is so special because McLean himself has the sweetest personality, and he has a great sense of humor. For example, during the announcement over the loud speaker, asking people to silence their cell phones and take disruptive children to the lobby, he announced, “For this performance, the part of Michael McLean will be played by Robert Downey Jr.” For a moment, I was afraid we weren’t going to get to see him play the part in his creation (as cool as it would be to see RDJ perform, I don’t think he would be a great fit for this part). To get a taste of his funny personality and how great the love for this show is, read his message included in the program.
The part of Constance is played by Angela Jeffries/Adrian Swenson. She is a very gifted actress and is a Utah native, and her performance is wonderful. We see Connie Lou go through this journey of warming her heart and learning to let others in. We also get to see flashbacks to when she was a young college student, who wanted to make her mother proud, while simultaneously watching her mother get sicker and sicker. Constance is a deep, complex character, and Jeffries portrays all of her emotions—sorrow, frustration, loneliness, fear, pain, hope, goodness, and kindness—clearly and effectively. The jumps that she makes from the present to the flashbacks, from a stern and serious nurse to a timid student, is impressive and smooth every time. And that isn’t to mention her incredible singing voice, which is full of strength and is very beautiful.
Kyle Olsen plays a variety of characters, and he is featured in many of the songs. His voice is incredibly powerful and gorgeous, and his songs are absolutely beautiful. He sings a song from the point of view of the innkeeper who turned Mary and Joseph away called “Let Him In” that is forceful and emotional. But that can really be said for all of his songs. When he harmonizes with the other singers, it gives you goosebumps, a big example of this being the song entitled “Homeless.” He also plays Joseph, one of the Three Wisemen, a soldier, and a homeless man. Jumping from character to character seems easy for him. He is very gifted, both in singing and in acting.
Christy Summerhays is the director, and she also plays a few characters, most notably Constance’s mother. A lot of work has been put into this show on her part, which she has been involved with multiple times. But the production flows well, and it is clear that her hard work has paid off. Gili Getz plays Dr. Halifax, who works at the hospital with Constance. He is a sweet character, and Getz is very funny in the role.
Finally, the part of Sarah is played by Lynne McLean, Michael’s wife. Her song “Mary Let Me Hold Her Baby” is lovely, as she sings about how precious the baby Jesus is. She shows motherly love to the child (and she is literally rocking a baby as she sings). Knowing that she and Michael are married in real life as well makes that connection so much sweeter. Sarah has been deceased for a long time, and John misses her. But he still dances with her. Although they physically aren’t touching, and she stands on a platform behind him, they dance together as if he is able to dance with her beyond the grave. That sentiment is beautiful to me.
The show features a lot of sound and lighting effects. The Forgotten Carols opens with John waving his hand to make the lights on the Christmas tree light up, and to make it snow. Lighting Designer Rodney Elwood uses his effects for more than just spotlights; they also provide the setting. The scenes that take place in John’s house include projections, such as a grandfather clock. But when John starts to tell Constance one of the stories, that setting vanishes and is replaced by something else that fits into what he is saying, such as the star shining in the sky above the stable. And when it was over, the grandfather clock reappears. It’s a cool way to have a set change.
Sound Designer Joe Anderson has the obvious role of playing the music and making sure the actors’ mics are on and off when they need to be, but there is always more to sound design than that. There are plenty of instances of police sirens or busy streets, or any other noises in the show, and there are always more than are appreciated by most. One thing I noticed during “Let Him In” was that the sound levels didn’t match. The music was louder than Olsen’s voice, so some things were drowned out a little. But that was the only time I felt that way, so it must have been fixed for the songs that followed, which is great because the songs are so pretty.
During the matinee I attended, close to the end of the first act, the fog machines used in the show caused the fire alarms to go off. It’s always awkward when things like that happen, I would imagine especially for the actors, who get cut off mid-scene. The show stopped, and the house lights came on. But the problem was fixed before we could evacuate (which is great, because I’m sure no one wanted to wait in the cold for the show to restart). Michael McLean’s voice came back over the loudspeaker to let us know that they fixed the issue, and he said, “I told you it was exciting.” And when the show restarted, his character asked Constance, “Did you sleep well, through the fire alarm?”
This is just an example of how genuine McLean’s love for the show is. Even after 27 years, he does not feel tired or bored of it. He still has fun. At the end of every performance, he talks (and jokes) with the audience, and he says a little about writing the music, and the sentiments behind the songs and how he came up with the ideas. And he always closes by having the audience sing with him. He tells them all to link arms with their neighbors, and everyone sings, “We can be together forever someday.”
The Forgotten Carols is a special, spiritual experience. I think that’s why so many people go back to see it every year. It tells the story of the birth of Christ, as well as the transformation of a nurse who doesn’t have much love in her life and has chosen not to believe. It is a good story with beautiful music to share during the Christmas season, as it reminds us of the reason for the season.
The Forgotten Carols 2018 tour, created, written, and performed by Michael McLean
November 24th-December 22nd, 2018
View Tour Schedule and Purchase Tickets Here
Tickets: $19.50-$30.50
Contact: 801-668-0419
Forgotten Carols Facebook Page
Forgotten Carols Facebook Event
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