Review: Brian d'Arcy James, Stephanie J. Block Join The New York Pops For Christmas

While the holiday fare at most of New York's great cultural institutions are packaged with family fun in mind, The New York Pops' annual Christmas concerts at Carnegie Hall, like this year's IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME IN THE CITY, make for refreshingly fizzy grownup entertainment.

Artistic director and conductor Steven Reineke is a master showman at the baton and his peppy banter between selections always guides the evening along smoothly.

The choir of Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA was on hand to open the evening with a rousing "Deck The Halls," followed by the first of the concert's Broadway guest stars, Stephanie J. Block sweeping across the stage with "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" and a swing arrangement of "Winter Wonderland."

She and Brian d'Arcy James, on loan from Broadway's SOMETHING ROTTEN!, had great chemistry with pop hits like "Let it Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," " Baby, It's Cold Outside" and a "Holiday Hits Medley" that included "All I Want for Christmas Is You," "Feliz Navidad," "Hard Candy Christmas" and "So This Is Christmas."

Both guest stars had lovely poignant moments. Brian d'Arcy James' own composition, "Michigan Christmas," paid tribute to quieter family times at home as compared with the glitz of the city's holiday season. Block introduced Wesley Whatley and Bill Schermerhorn's "Yes Virginia," inspired by Francis Pharcellus Church's reply to a young girl's letter to the New York Sun, by telling of the joy she feels with her husband, Broadway's Sebastian Arcelus, as they experience Christmas with their new baby.

Choral highlights included Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson's "Christmas Time Is Here" from A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS and ""Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas," written by the legendary film score composer for HOME ALONE 2.

You'd guess that audience members would not allow Reineke to leave the hall in one piece without the orchestra's traditional show-stopping performance of "Jingle Bell Rock," arranged by the maestro, but the fascinating orchestral highlight was Katherine K. Davis' "Little Bolero Boy," mixing Ravel's composition with the traditional melody.

The dramatic finale had Block leading the choir in a powerful and majestic "O Holy Night," followed by a sing-along where audience members were invited to join in for standards like "Silent Night," "Joy To The World" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

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