Posted on Dec 12, 2009 - 09:44 PM

Debbie Reynolds Headlines as “Christmastime!” Begins December Run

By Christina Knauss

Debbie Reynolds is a master at one-liners, celebrity impressions and bringing a sense of nostalgia to an audience.

The film star, best known for her roles in movies of the '50s and '60s, helped usher The Palace Theatre's "Christmastime!" show into its December schedule in grand style, wrapping up her five-show run with the Twelve Irish Tenors on Saturday evening. The Tenors continue appearing regularly as the "Christmastime!" featured performers through Jan. 2.

Reynolds appeared during the second half of the show, which clocked in at just about two hours. Along with the Tenors, she combined popular standards and show tunes with holiday music, making for a Christmas show that wasn't all holly and silver bells, all the time. The stage was decorated with tasteful Christmas trees done in white lights, and a star-lit background.

The Tenors took the stage for the first half of the Reynolds shows. The group is made up of 12 strong young singers who either hail from Ireland or come from Irish-American families.

Those who have seen "The Magical Spirit of Ireland" show at The Palace will recognize two of the "Christmastime!" singers, Kevin Littlejohn and David Wyatt, who are the lead vocalists in that show.

The 10 other singers, who vary in age and style, compliment Littlejohn and Wyatt but all work together seamlessly to offer up a set that combines singing, dancing and some good-natured comedy.

Just because they're billed as the Irish tenors, don't expect all Irish music. Their set opens with the tearjerker classic ballad "Danny Boy," and there's a rousing rendition of the folk song "Cockles and Mussels," but the show includes songs of many styles, ranging from "New York, New York" to big band numbers and the spiritual ballad "You Raise Me Up." The tenors even throw in the vintage Mario Lanza standard "Funiculi, Funicula."

The name of the show is "Christmastime!" and the holiday season certainly isn't forgotten, as the tenors perform Barry Manilow's contemporary carol "One Voice," along with well-loved carols such as "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger." Frosty the Snowman and Santa also make appearances. The tenors' set ends with a lovely live nativity scene including live sheep, camels, and a donkey, which especially delighted many members of the audience.

Reynolds' Myrtle Beach performances combined singing with her personal reminiscences about her career, as well as video montages of some of her most popular roles, including 1952's "Singin' in the Rain" opposite Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor, and 1965's "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Reynolds, still a spry performer at 77, had no qualms about discussing her long career in show business and making jokes about her age.

"Is anybody in the audience under 50?" she quipped during her act's first 10 minutes, and then offered a brief refresher course not only on her long career, but on her past marriages and divorces, including her first to Eddie Fisher, which became tabloid fodder of the era when he left to marry Elizabeth Taylor ("My first husband went down the Nile!").

http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/12/Tenors box-thumb-300x225-2577.jpg"Aren't you excited to be here?" she asked, "I'm happy to be here, happy we're still alive! See my leg? I let the one leg stick out of my outfit because everything else is shot."

The set was a fun, good-natured romp that included a vocal tribute to her friend Judy Garland, reminiscences about work with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Eva Gabor, and even a rendition of "Tammy," Reynolds' 1957 hit single from the movie "Tammy and the Bachelor."

She didn't ignore Christmas, and reminded the audience that "I'm still a person who says 'Merry Christmas!'" Reynolds performed classics such as "The Christmas Song" and "Jingle Bells" while scenes from classic Christmas movies played on video screens.

Reynolds offered a fun trip down memory lane combined with some holiday cheer, and her show brought back fun memories for her audience.

Fresh off their sold-out World Tour, The Twelve Irish Tenors now carry "Christmastime!" through the New Year.