The Forgotten Carols

The Forgotten Carols

2008 Tour - Salt Lake City, Utah at Cottonwood High School

by Michael McLean

Michael McLean - Uncle John

Kelly Shepardson - Connie Lou

Christy Summerhays- Lillian

Jordan Bluth- (several different characters)

Gili Getz- Dr. Halifax

Lynne McLean- Sarah

I first saw The Forgotten Carols in Boise, Idaho in November 2005. I loved it. It reminded em of what Christmas is about. The birth of Jesus the Christ. Love. Forgiveness. Hope. I sang with the Boise LDS Institute of Religion Choir at the time and that choir was asked to be the "backup choir" for that performance. As I said, I loved the show than. It has only gotten better since then.

This is not a complete synopsis, but here is a brief one. John is staying in a "relative's" home. The "family" hires a nurse to come and watch him while he's there. He's really old, you see. John asks her for help to put the ornaments on the Christmas tree. "It's a very big tree." She does, wishing she were somewhere...anywhere else. John explains the meaning of each ornament. As the play unfolds, we learn that John is roughly 2,000 years old. As each ornament is put on the tree, John shares a carol, a Christmas carol, that has since been forgotten. But that have great meaning.

We hear from the innkeeper who turned Joseph and Mary away. John talks of when he met George F. Handel. (Who is represented by the quill pen ornament, the pen he used to write Messiah.) A dream that he (Handel) had had. About not being able to sing in the Celestial choir at the birth of Jesus. (That song, Handel's Dream, is probably my favorite. Oh who am I kidding, I like all the songs.)

We also see Constance, Connie Lou as Uncle John calls her, as a child. (This is new. I like it, it adds some power that wasn't in the show when I first saw it. And it gives it more depth. I'm all about depth.) We see her father as a soldier in war (I believe world war 1. Though it might've been ww2...) I'm not going to go on with the story, you'll have to see it yourself. It truely is an amazing show. A DVD of the performance is available at deseretbook.com (and no, Deseret Book did not pay me to make that annouoncement for them.)

After the show was ended, Michael McLean came out to do his traditional epilogue. He sits at the piano and sings "We can be together forever someday." Than he has the audience join him. He shares some other personal stories. One of which goes like this: "You know what the best part of doing a show with your wife is? Making out backstage." (Lynne McLean is his wife.) After the final stuff was over, Michael had everyone in the audience hum, Silent Night. He asked that there be no applause as he left, because he wanted us to leave that auditorium thinking of Christ. He "directed" us as we hummed as he walked off stage. He finished, the house lights came up and people slowly began to leave. It was truly a great experience.

I have no comments about any of the cast. They were all outstanding. They were funny when they needed to be. Serious. And emotional, as the situation required. I have on the other hand seen Jordan Bluth in another peformance. He sang the role of John Taylor in Joseph Smith, the Prophet by Rob Gardner. I had the opportunity to sing in the choir when it was recorded live at Abravenel Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. Conducted by the composer. I was also in the choir when it was presented in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake in April 2008. (Which was attended by President Thomas S. Monson.) Excue me, I'm getting lost in my thoughts. I was talking about Jordan Bluth...I liked him in Joseph Smith, the Propeht as well. This is another show, that will become part of my Christmas tradition.