This week: a December 2011 rebroadcast from The Town Hall on West 43rd Street in New York City. Itzhak Perlman plays "Tambourin Chinois" with pianist John Root and "Heyser Bulgar" with the Klezmer Conservatory Band, Gillian Welch sings "Dixie Line" and "Six White Horses," Joel Grey and Rob Fisher team up for "Be Like a Bluebird," and The DiGiallonardo Sisters perform "Santa Lucia" with the host. Plus: Garrison tells about the annual Sons of Knute Christmas Dance and Dinner; Richard Dworsky leads The Guy's All-Star Shoe band on "S'Vivon" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and plays his own "Short Attention Span Christmas Medley"; our Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman, with a look at the joys of the Christmas season and a message from the Catchup Advisory Board; and a holiday sing-along to close out the show. In Lake Wobegon, Christmas is a time of small disasters, but it is through hard times that we get closer together: the Tolleruds reluctantly accept a gift from a NYC relative, Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church celebrates St. Lucia Day, and more.
Notes from Rob Fisher on this week's rebroadcast:
That particular appearance on APHC with Joel Grey weaves many threads together. Joel and I arrived between two performances of the Broadway revival of Anything Goes playing directly across the street from The Town Hall at the Sondheim Theater: Joel as Moonface Martin, public enemy #1, and yours truly conducting. We dashed across the street between shows and performed with no sound check, which is only possible when everyone already knows everything about what's going on. Joel and I both knew Garrison and how the show works. Years before (25 years?) Garrison had asked me to bring Joel onto the broadcast to perform his father's material -- that's Mickey Katz, definitely worth a Google. It was amazing to be in the lineup with the DiGiallonardo Sisters, but weird not to be performing with them, especially since we had recorded a holiday album together. As I write this, I'm on Oahu, soon to rehearse "Mele Kalikimaka" with the Hawaii Symphony. Out here everyone knows the words and sings along.