New West presents you with Christmas Spirit

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New West Theatre is ready to get Lethbridge into  the Christmas spirit this week.
George Gallant, Erica Hunt, Mark Nivet and Kathy Zaborsky under the tutelage of music director  Paul Walker have been working on an evening of Christmas  Melodies and big band music.Scott Walker, Erica Hunt, Mark Nivet and Kathy Zaborsky. Photo By Richard Amery
“It’s windy out and it’s brown, but Christmas is just around the corner,” enthused Erica Hunt who is looking forward to the production’s Dec. 1-5 run  at College Drive Community Church (2710 College Drive South).
The theme of the show this year is the beloved Christmas television variety specials on the ’60s. So there will be lots of singing and a few jokes interspersed in between the vocal numbers.
“If you want something to put you into the  Christmas spirit, this will do it. And it helps us,” Hunt added.
“It just feels like Christmas when you hear these songs.”
This is more of a concert than a full scale production for New West Theatre, so there will be  well known Christmas carols and a fewer light-hearted Christmas songs like ‘Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.’

The performers are enjoying working on the arrangements of “Little Drummer Boy,” based on the well known David Bowie/ Bing Crosby version.
But in his constant quest to keep finding new Christmas material for the group’s annual Christmas show, music director Paul Walker has discovered his new favourite Christmas song — ‘All I Want For Christmas is You,” from Mariah Carey as featured in the movie ‘Love Actually.”
“I’m loving  doing background vocals and blending the  harmonies. We’re having a  real blast,” said Mark Nivet.
Vocal director Kathy Zaborsky is enjoying the challenge of arranging complex vocal harmonies.
“We have a dream team of  vocalists,” Zaborsky grinned.
“We really have to break down  each element of the song  and find out how each voice interacts with the others,” Zaborsky explained.
“Just hearing these songs puts people into the Christmas spirit,” Hunt said. The show begins at 7 p.m. each night.
—By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat editor
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