Feature: 9 of the Best Winter Holiday Shows of 2024
A roundup of some of BroadwayWorld Cabaret's favorite holiday shows from 2024
Continuing our roundups of some of the best shows we’ve reviewed for BroadwayWorld Cabaret in 2024, we put together a list of nine of our favorite winter holiday concerts that graced NYC stages this holiday season. Most of these shows are annual traditions, so save this article to plan your concert schedule for December 2025.
12/3: Spending Christmas with Alicia Witt at 54 Below
“Alicia Witt has just released her brand-new Christmas album I THINK I’M SPENDING CHRISTMAS WITH YOU and she has been touring with a Christmas show to celebrate the joyous occasion. And if an album and a tour aren’t enough glad tidings, the film and television actress chose to make SPENDING CHRISTMAS WITH Alicia Witt her long-awaited debut at 54 Below. Audible sigh.”
Read Stephen Mosher’s full review here.
12/4: Nicole Henry: My Favorite Things at 54 Below
“Our Lady of Jazz, Nicole Henry, returned to 54 Below recently for her annual Christmas concert. Actually, it’s no longer en pointe to refer to Nicole Henry as a jazz singer, exclusively. Yes, it is true that Ms. Henry’s explorations and exploits with the jazz genre have garnered her much praise, many accolades, and a lot, a Lot, a LOT of fans. But if there is anything these last years of watching Nicole Henry play out in New York City have taught this writer, it is that Nicole Henry is an artist not to be labeled. There is no putting the Lady in a lane and expecting her to stay there because Nicole Henry can sing (does sing) anything.”
Read Stephen Mosher’s full review here.
12/4: The Little Matchgirl Passion at Church of the Intercession
Death of Classical doesn’t often repeat shows, but they got such a good response to The Little Matchgirl Passion last year that they decided to turn it into an annual tradition. Having seen it last year, I can only say that’s a good thing: it’s moving, poignant, the perfect hauntingly eerie way to ring in the holiday season.
12/13: Lena Moy-Borgen's Very Jewish Christmas Story at Don’t Tell Mama
BroadwayWorld Cabaret review Analisa Bell called this show “one of the best cabarets I’ve seen all year! Entering in a green velvet jumpsuit (Moy-Borgen said herself she’s in her jumpsuit era), she had the crowd in the palm of her hand from the moment she stepped on stage. Kicking things off with a roaring “I Hate Christmas” (Pottle/Axlerod), Moy-Borgen had the audience in stitches with her hilarious facial expressions and great comic delivery. She is a fantastic and engaging storyteller.”
12/18: Norm Lewis’s The Best of Christmas at 54 Below
Reviewer and photographer Stephen Sorokoff attended (almost) every single night of Norm Lewis’s seven-show run, celebrating the holiday show’s 10th anniversary, writing “There was plenty of laughter and tears and an interaction with the audiences that I have never witnessed to be so intimate and sharing. It is simply the “must-see” holiday event of the season.”
Read his full review and see his favorite photos from the week of shows here.
12/19: Duchess’s Harmony for the Holidays at Birdland
Christmas is the season of hope – hoping for joy, harmony, and goodwill. Easier said than done. But harmony – vocal harmony that sounds good – will be an easy thing to find if you seek out the sounds of Duchess. This accomplished vocal trio’s tight harmonies can be heavenly, hot and “holiday happy.” Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou are the three “thrushes” (to use an old term for female vocalists popular in the era of music they often draw upon for material). They brought their brio and bright-eyed presence to a show called Harmony for the Holiday with Duchess, featuring Christmas songs, winter songs, and some not-at-all-holiday-connected songs to Birdland’s downstairs space for one night
Read Rob Lester’s full review here
12/19: Carole Bufford: Yuletide Carole at 54 Below
“Early on, during her recent holiday cabaret at 54 Below, Carole J. Bufford explained to her audience that she had created a show for the occasion that was “a little eclectic.” She certainly did succeed at that, but also at creating an evening that was a little electric. This need surprise no one, since there is an energy, an electricity, any time that Carole J. Bufford steps onto a stage, whether it is one of her sophisticated and mischievous solo shows, an appearance in a Scott Coulter concert, or a benefit for a worthy cause. She is, unquestionably, one of the most exciting artists working in cabaret and concert these days… or, more precisely, for the entire length of her career. For this writer, in fact, Carole J. Bufford is the woman working in clubs today who most embodies women from the heyday of nightclubs and club acts, women like Lola Falana, Mitzi Gaynor, and Juliet Prowse. She is every inch a star, and audiences should flock to every show and every appearance that she makes available to the public.”
Read Stephen Mosher’s full review here.
12/20 – 12/21: New York Pops: Merry and Bright featuring Jessica Vosk at Carnegie Hall
The New York Pops are always a delight to watch and this year’s holiday show, Merry and Bright, featuring guest vocalist Jessica Vosk, was no exception. The show, continuing the Pops’ annual holiday show tradition, played on Friday, December 20 and Saturday, December 21 at 8 pm. The atmosphere in Carnegie Hall was joyous, with over 3,000 voices joining together as one to celebrate. With the Pops playing, December truly is the "most wonderful time of the year."
12/26: Melissa Errico’s ‘Twas the Night After Christmas at 54 Below
Melissa Errico’s ’Twas The Night After Christmas – A Winter Party with Billy Stritch is an inventive, captivating show. In it, she deconstructs and re-imagines what holiday songs actually are, revealing the true origins of Christmas standards. She strings together a mixture of holiday favorites and Broadway classics recast as holiday songs, plus a few off the beaten path, all while singing to perfection and charming the crowd with that signature Melissa Errico smile.
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