How to watch on PBS, BYUtv – Deseret News

Shortly before her third and final performance as narrator for the Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concert in 2023, Lesley Nicol lost “a large part” of her tooth.

But the actress, known for her role as “Downton Abbey” cook Mrs. Patmore, quickly realized there was no need to panic.

She was surrounded by high-quality musicians, but the volunteer aspect of the Temple Square Tabernacle Choir meant that many of the singers had full-time jobs outside of music – which for Nicol really came in handy this Saturday night.

“It turns out that if you have a choir of over 300, there’s at least three dentists and an oral surgeon in there, so I had my pick,” Nicol recently told the media on a Zoom call from London, noting that the problem was fixed immediately. “It was pretty impressive.”

For Nicol, the solution to her dental debacle ended up being just one of several benefits that came with performing with the Tabernacle Choir.

It’s been a year since Nicol and Broadway star Michael Maliakel participated in the choir’s annual Christmas concert over three nights at the 21,000-seat Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Now, footage from the concerts will be broadcast to an even wider audience in the coming weeks, beginning with its PBS premiere Tuesday night and a showing on BYUtv Thursday night.

Ahead of the televised premiere, the two guest artists reflected on what it meant to them to participate in the Tabernacle Choir tradition – and what’s next in their careers.

‘They look after you’

A year after the concerts, what stands out the most from the two guest artists is something viewers don’t necessarily get to see.

Maliakel said the scale of the annual concert, one of the choir’s biggest endeavors, is unlike anything he’s ever been a part of — so much so that it made the Broadway show “Aladdin” feel like a small high school show in comparison. “

“The army of people on stage you all see, but the massive operation behind the scenes to make it all work – the amazing team, the sound people, the wardrobe people. They started planning this year’s (concert) I understand as soon as our was done. So it’s a whole year-long process and they’ve been doing it for over 20 years now, so it’s a really well-oiled machine.

“From my perspective, it all went so beautifully smoothly,” he continued. “Everything was taken care of, every need we could have had was taken care of before I could have even asked for anything. It’s unbelievable. … The orchestra and the number of camera angles that they were able to capture , it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. But again, I think they’ve had a lot of practice over the years, so it runs really smoothly.”

Nicol also benefited from the choir’s attention to detail – and not just because of his tooth.

While she joked that it was nice to have her hair and makeup done for a change — in contrast to her decidedly less glamorous role as the “Downton Abbey” chef — Nicol remains especially grateful for the kindness of concert organizers who helped her family making it to the convention center to see her big moment.

Early in the process, Nicol told the team that her brother, who lived in South Carolina at the time, had been a longtime fan of the choir and watched the Christmas special every year on TV. He had never been able to secure a ticket to the concert. Organizers worked quickly to change that, Nicol said, flying her family in from South Carolina.

Her brother died just eight months later, which makes the moment even more poignant, the actor said.

“He got to meet (choir director) Mack (Wilberg). He got to see the show,” she said. “It was a huge gift. The fact that it was his last year on this planet makes it all the more special.”

Nicol’s role in the concert was coming to an end. She told the story of how “Les Miserables” author Victor Hugo was inspired by his wife, Adele Foucher, to send out a Christmas dinner invitation to poor children in their community.

Three days before Hugo’s death at the age of 83, as Nicol recounted during his narration, the writer summed up his life’s philosophy with a simple phrase: “To love is to act.”

Telling such an intimate story on such a big stage can be a daunting challenge, but Nicol said she felt her late husband, who died two years ago, helped carry her through.

“I think he was right next to me, so I didn’t feel nervous. … I was excited,” she said. “I just couldn’t wait to get on that stage. Strangely enough, I felt supported by him.”

Although she only got a few days to rehearse before the concerts, Nicol said “there was a sense of peace and calm.”

“They’ve done it so often. And they’re kind people and they look after you,” she said. “You don’t feel pressured, really. … And then it’s very exciting because you have thousands of people to perform in front of.”

‘We hold our breath every year’

The choir’s music director, Mack Wilberg, does not dispute that the Christmas concert is a well-oiled machine. But that doesn’t mean it’s always smooth sailing behind the scenes.

“It is true that we have been doing this for many years now. “We know what it takes to make it happen, but every year you swallow hard and say, ‘I hope it all comes together,'” he said with a little laugh during the latest Zoom call. “The Christmas concert is definitely our performance on steroids, if you like, because there are so many elements that have to fit together. … We hold our breath every year.”

But having guest artists like Nicol and Maliakel, who he said “are so professional and also a joy to work with,” “makes the job a little bit easier.”

“The program last year I think was a high for everyone in our 24 years of presenting this program,” Wilberg said.

For Maliakel, the performance was something of a full-circle moment.

The singer was about 8 when he first saw the Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concert on PBS – and it became a tradition that over the years introduced him to some of his musical heroes like Renee Fleming, Broadway legend Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Although Maliakel grew up singing in his church choir, he never went to the theater or attended many shows. The Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concert opened his eyes to a whole new world.

“I had never seen anything like it. … I didn’t know people could make those kinds of sounds,” he said. “Having it shown in my living room, thanks to PBS, meant everything. It introduced me to this world that now has become my world, which is so crazy to say.”

Attending the concert also relieved Maliakel of some jealousy—his younger brother actually sang with the Tabernacle Choir as a member of the American Boychoir School in Princeton, an opportunity that came a year after Maliakel graduated from the school.

“To finally get to be a part of it was absolutely amazing and it felt like a real full-circle moment,” he said. “I’m so grateful to have it recorded so beautifully and something that I can show my kids down the line.”

What’s next for Lesley Nicol, Michael Maliakel

With the packed rehearsal schedule in the days leading up to the concert, the guest artists didn’t get much time to explore Utah. But they’re already both hoping to return at some point — “I’ve got to go back,” Nicol said. “I think there’s a trip ahead at some point.”

But for the time being, both Nicol and Maliakel are busy with new projects.

Nicol teased a TV role next year, which she couldn’t share too much about other than her excitement about it. She recently wrapped production on the third and final “Downton Abbey” movie, which will be released next year. Maggie Smith’s absence was felt on set, she said.

“Losing Maggie was terrible, but on the other hand I think she wasn’t doing well and it wasn’t a nice way to exist,” she said. “I’m a believer, drilled into me by my doctor father, which is, just being around is not really a way to live. I hope it was the right time for her to move on. She was missed because she was a great person to be around. She was very entertaining and very loved by all of us.”

Maliakel, meanwhile, wrapped up a three-year run starring in Broadway’s “Aladdin” in June. It was a “strenuous schedule” — especially for a Broadway debut, he said — with eight shows a week.

“It has opened so many doors for me; it’s kind of a career-defining opportunity and I’m so thankful that my body held up, my voice held up through all of that,” he said with a wide smile. “I learned so, so much. … I’m definitely a better performer for it.”

Now, Maliakel said, he has another show booked in New York this spring that he can’t talk about yet. And he’s working on a couple of his other longtime goals: releasing his first solo album and building a concert tour schedule.

The album, he said, is a medley of Golden Age Broadway songs, jazz standards from the Great American Songbook and more modern Broadway songs.

But before that album comes out, viewers at home who haven’t seen him on Broadway will get a taste of his style when the Tabernacle Choir concert makes its televised debut.

“I’m just so grateful that it’s finally out there for the world to see,” he said. “We got to share it with almost 60,000 people last year, but now to know that families who couldn’t be there can now see it, and so many people around the world get to see it, it feels really surreal to be part of something that I’ve seen and admired from afar for so many years. And now that it’s recorded so beautifully for the future, it’s really, really special.

“It’s a beautiful testament to all the hard work that people have put into it,” he continued. “I think it’s a beautiful message. The whole thing from start to finish is just so epic. I think people will really enjoy it.”

How to see the Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concert

Viewers have a few ways to watch the 2023 Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert.

The 90-minute production premieres on December 17 at 7 p.m. MST on PBS and will air again on December 24 at 8:30 PM MST (check local listings). The special is also available to stream PBS.org and the PBS app through Jan. 1, according to a press release shared with the Deseret News.

“Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” also airs on December 19 at 7:00 PM MST on BYUtv, with repeat broadcasts on the network through Christmas Day. The program will also be available to stream on the BYUtv app and BYUtv.org.

This year’s Christmas concert, which runs from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21 at the Salt Lake City Convention Center, features Broadway star Ruthie Ann Miles and actor Dennis Haysbert, known for his role as President David Palmer on the television series “24. “

It will mark the first time since before the pandemic that the convention center will be able to fill to its capacity of 21,000, the Deseret News previously reported.