From the moment we hear the first notes to a jazzy rendition of “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” and the words Alliance Theatre appear on screen, “A Very Terry Christmas” brings delight.
This production was to have been the first live performance at the Alliance Theatre in November. But the pandemic had another idea. So director Susan Booth came up with a clever adaptation for film, one that celebrates our city.
“A Very Terry Christmas” stars Broadway icon Terry Burrell as she takes viewers on a tour of her favorite Atlanta destinations, all the while singing holiday songs and telling personal stories.
Burrell visits iconic Atlanta landmarks, including The Varsity, Georgia Aquarium, The Atlanta Zoon, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Burrell describes the production as “a love letter to the beautiful city of Atlanta.”
She joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to discuss the production and what it was like visiting all of those Atlanta locations.
“A Very Terry Christmas” can be streamed through Dec. 31.
Interview Highlights:
On how the idea for “A Very Terry Christmas” was formed:
“We had actually planned to do a more cabaret-style staged version of it. I think it was Susan, that came up with the idea of going around to these venues all around Atlanta. She asked me, given the choice of the two, which one would you want to do? I said, definitely the venues, nobody’s doing anything like that. And it’s a reminder of how wonderful this city is and what it has to offer.”
On crafting the songs:
“I wanted to introduce was some African and some Caribbean in there. And so we were able to do that. But when you think about it, there’s so many other cultural elements. If you listen to the Holly and the Ivy, it sounds very Irish. So very Celtic, almost in its musical treatment. And then we were able to do a Little Drummer Boy; I found a sort of African beat for that. And so we were able to do it that way, which was wonderful. “
