Master of Disney Hall’s singalong revels
Wearing a magnificent crown on his head and a pouty scowl on his face, David Prather stomps about the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage as he plays the not-so-merry monarch in A.A. Milne’s “King John’s Christmas.” Later, looking cozy in an old-fashioned nightshirt and cap, he utters those magical words “ ‘Twas the night before Christmas” and recites another, happier, holiday poem. Finally, decked out in Victorian finery, Prather leads the capacity crowd of 2,200-plus in rising, singing, sitting and rising again during what he calls the “world’s largest pop-up book version of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’”
FOR THE RECORD:
“Holiday Sing-Along”: A Dec. 17 Calendar article about the “Holiday Sing-Along” at Disney Hall said that David Prather created a version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” during which sections of the audience stand and sing different verses, for a 2006 holiday singalong and concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall. This was not the first such performance of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” at Disney Hall. The first section-by-section version was created and led by singer-songwriter Judith Owen when she and her husband, actor and writer Harry Shearer, hosted a holiday singalong there in 2005. —
“It’s a whirlwind,” says Prather of his performance as “host-slash-tour-guide-slash-antic-master-of-ceremonies” of “Holiday Sing-Along,” which is presented each winter as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s “Deck the Hall” series of seasonal concerts. “My job is to help people capture that elusive Christmas spirit. It’s sheer joy and exhaustion and exhilaration all rolled into one.”
The 75-minute program — which this year will be held twice on Saturday — features lots of communal crooning, says Prather, “but we also try to evoke an array of emotions such as humor, pathos and laughter.” He opens every show with “a monologue to set the tone” and, between songs, offers special set pieces like the poetry. For “King John’s Christmas,” he recruits young helpers from the audience. “I want to keep things spontaneous, and there’s no better way to do that than to deal with kids,” says Prather, a veteran of the Phil’s “SummerSounds” children’s series at the Hollywood Bowl. “Last year, for instance, I made some quip about one girl’s attire and the battle lines were drawn. She was very sassy after that, which added to the fun.”
Prather, who will be making his fifth appearance as host, says he never forgets that music is the main attraction — “people come to a singalong to sing.” Everyone gets a lyrics sheet and is encouraged to join in with the Angeles Chorale and musicians, including organist Philip Smith. The lineup of secular tunes and religious carols can vary (“This year, we’re planning to add ‘The Dreidel Song’”). Certain favorites never leave the list. Prather says he is especially fond of “our a cappella version of ‘Silent Night.’”
He also loves the pop-up “Twelve Days of Christmas,” which he created for his “Deck the Hall” debut in 2006. The previous year, the Phil had presented its first holiday singalong – a cocktail-hour-style program hosted by Harry Shearer and his wife, singer-songwriter Judith Owen. It then switched to a more family-friendly format with Prather, an actor and educator who, as a boy, was a treble soloist at Washington National Cathedral. While brainstorming ideas for the new show, Prather says, he examined a seating chart of Disney Hall. “I realized there were 12 sections and I thought, ‘What if each section were assigned a verse and you jump up and sing when your turn comes and then sit down, and then everyone stands and sings for ‘five golden rings’?”
Prather introduced the piece at his inaugural singalong and several philharmonic holiday concerts. There was no way to rehearse, he recalls, “so the first time we did this it was a leap of faith.” The result was glorious as waves of sound and motion swept around the hall. “The audience took over,” says Prather. “The musicians gave up trying to play along.” Over the years, he admits, he’s goofed a few times while scrambling to remember whom to cue and which verse to sing. “Luckily, no one seems to mind.”
Indeed, “Twelve Days” is one of the most popular parts of the show, embodying the mix of the familiar and the unexpected that Prather seeks as a holiday host. “Traditions can be comforting,” he says, “like eating the same dish your grandmother prepared every year. But you also want to have a little fun. I think people look forward to the pop-up for both those reasons.”
Besides, he adds, “you don’t get to scream ‘eight maids a-milking’ in Disney Hall every day.”
Holiday Sing-Along
Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall, downtown L.A.
When: 11:30 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: $32-$83
Information: (323) 850-2000 or https://www.laphil.com
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