Can check this one off the "things to do in life" list

So this last weekend was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's annual Christmas concert and after pretty much committing mail fraud I scored some tickets (thanks Mom and Dad!!!). I went on Friday night with GH, Spitfire, and a coworker of GH's who just moved to UT this fall and has never seen the choir perform.

And here's the thing: this year the guest singer was Brian Stokes Mitchell. I was going to kill and eat people if I didn't get in to this one, because I have loved that man's voice for years, ever since I first heard him in Kiss Me, Kate. And then in Ragtime. And then some more in Man of La Mancha. I tell you, his voice is so pure and deep and righteous that when Savvy was a screetching baby she would quiet down upon hearing it. Because she gets it.



So here are some jotted highlights/impressions from the evening:

Sat in the balcony (so about 8 miles up) and watched as standby people were ushered in to the nice cushy front-section seats behind President Monson and within range of the tractor beam of Brian Stokes Mitchell's grin. Maybe should look into standby next year instead of mail fraud.

BMS, I must say it, was kind of a Broadway geek, but I'm going to insist that it was an a charming and lovely way. He seemed very, very excited to be singing with the choir. And several of the Motab women seemed to be very, very excited to be sitting behind him, if you know what I'm saying. I think I saw one lady lick her lips.

Brian Stokes Mitchell arranged some of the songs they sang. Yeah he did.

And at one point he walked over to a piano and started playing it and singing at the same time. I half expected him to look straight up to me, raise an eyebrow, and intone, "Oh yeah. That just happened."

Now for a lesserlight: You remember how I've discussed the people of UT with their dogged devotion to giving standing ovations to absolutely anything that even remotely resembles a cultural offering. Well, they've learned a new trick. They now give standing ovations at the end of every song. I shall call this The Jack-in-the-Box, and it will probably send me to an early grave.

BSM sang "Through Heaven's Eyes" from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack (yeah, that bit was him and not so much Danny Glover) and as soon as it was over this balding gentleman in front of us shot up out of his seat and started clapping furiously. I nudged GH and gestured to the guy with a WTH? expression. GH whispered, "He really liked that cartoon."

I saw that several people chose to ignore the age requirement of 8 years old and instead bring their 5 year olds who were bored to tears. Nice one, cheaterpantsess.

Also, I may be struck by lightening for this but I have to tell you about the costumes. Oh my WORD, the costumes. In the beginning they always do this big processional where dancers and singers and little kids and things come out. Like one year little kids came out to "Light a Torch" and they were all carrying little torches and lighting each other's torches and generally looking precious enough to eat with a side of Nutella. And usually the costumes have something to do with the song, or where the song is from, or what the theme of the concert is.

This time the theme was "Ring Christmas Bells" and the processional song was "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and the costumes were From Hell. The boy dancers were wearing some sort of gold tunic-with-sash-over-Aladdin-pants thing, and the girls had these big long flowy white dresses with ruffly necklines and scary-trash ribbon bustiers. I have no idea where they were supposed to be from, but I'm guessing something Eastern Europterrasianish. There was no clue in the program or anywhere else.

The only truly, truly sad part of the evening--sadder even than the costumes and the part where the people around me stood up for everything (except the "Hallelujah Chorus," go figure)--was that my sister Jenny got sick and couldn't come. We had been so excited to see this together. We were going to squeal and smacked each other on the legs and stuff when The Voice came out. Spitfire was an excellent seat partner but did not seem to appreciate being smacked when BSM began singing Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (arranged by him, btw) just before I passed out cold and landed on the 4-yr-old in front of me.

But yeah, it was a great night, and afterwards we walked around and looked at the lights on Temple Square and came back to my place for banana pudding.

To understand what I was getting so hyped up about, check out this clip from when Brian Stokes Mitchell sang with the choir back in October. Have a paper bag handy.