12 Days of Christmas with Norm Lewis: Johnny Mathis Croons a Classic

Deck the halls, trim the tree, and spin the dreidel. BroadwayWorld is continuing our tradition of celebrating the holiday season with a 12 Days of Christmas countdown. This year we've invited the incomparable Norm Lewis to share his favorite holiday performances. Norm continues his own holiday tradition this year by returning to Feinstein's/54 Below for six performance of Naughty and Nice (December 17-22).

Check back daily to get in the holiday spirit in time for December 25 and to find out what else made his list!

Anyone who knows me knows that my love for Johnny Mathis is infinite. He was a singer I recognized, very early on, who looked like me and made all that beautiful sound- making contact with the most glorious music and lyrics. I'd be lying if I didn't say he was a huge influence on me. He also became synonymous with Christmas and the holiday season. I could never have dreamed that one day I would get to sing with him, but blessed as I've been, it happened. I love him, I love this song... and I love that fireplace!

Norm Lewis can be seen starring in the upcoming Netflix film "Da 5 Bloods" by Spike Lee. He was recently seen in the NBC television special, "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!" and appeared in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island. He recently appeared as Sweeney Todd in the Off- Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Barrow Street Theatre, which earned him an AUDELCO Award for his performance. In 2014, he made history as The Phantom of the Opera's first African American Phantom on Broadway.

He has been seen on PBS in the Live From Lincoln Center productions ofShowboat with Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis: Who Am I?, and New Year's Eve: A Gershwin Celebration with Diane Reeves, as well as American Voices with Renée Fleming and the PBS Special First You Dream - The Music of Kander & Ebb. He can be seen recurring in the VH1 series, Daytime Divas, also alongside Vanessa Williams. His additional television credits include The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Bull, Chicago Med, Gotham, The Blacklist, and Blue Bloods, as well as in his recurring role as Senator Edison Davis on the hit drama Scandal.

Mr. Lewis received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production ofThe Gershwins' Porgy & Bess. Other Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables, Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon, and The Who's Tommy. In London's West End he has appeared as Javert in Les Misérables and Les Misérables: The 25th Anniversary Concert, which aired on PBS.

Off-Broadway Mr. Lewis has performed in Dessa Rose (Drama Desk nomination, AUDELCO Award), Shakespeare in the Park's The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Drama League nomination), Captains Courageous, and A New Brain. His regional credits include Porgy in The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (A.R.T.), Ragtime, Dreamgirls (with Jennifer Holliday), First You Dream, Sweeney Todd, and The Fantasticks.

His additional film credits include Magnum Opus, Winter's Tale, Sex and the City 2, Confidences, and Preaching to the Choir.

Norm's albums "The Norm Lewis Christmas Album" & "This is The Life" are available now.