Unwrap Your Candies Now

In this special episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Catherine Lu and Ernie Manouse unwrap and share audio gifts of holiday performances by beloved singers and actors from Houston and beyond.

Set list:

Martha Davis – I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Lyle Lovett – A Visit from St. Nicholas

Deborah Hope and Steven Jones – Santa Baby

Julia Krohn and Walt Zipprian – The Gift of the Magi

Martha Davis – Silent Night

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Catherine Lu chats with Houston Ballet Principal Dancer Connor Walsh. They talk about his lead role as “The Prince,” which he originated for Stanton Welch’s The Nutcracker, as well as his childhood Nutcracker memories and finding time for holiday traditions amidst a busy performance schedule. Performances of The Nutcracker run through December 29 at the Wortham Center.

Then, Ernie Manouse talks to actor Julia Krohn, who grew up in Houston in an acting family and is a graduate of HSPVA. Krohn stars as "Buddy's" stepmother in Elf – The Musical, based on the 2003 movie. Theatre Under The Stars presents the Broadway hit through December 22 at the Hobby Center.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (excerpts) courtesy of Houston Ballet, Elf – Main Title from Movie and Elf – The Musical trailer courtesy of TUTS

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Ernie Manouse chats with longtime “Tonight Show” host, stand-up comedian, voiceover artist, author and speaker Jay Leno, known to many as “the hardest working man in show business.” Society for the Performing Arts presents An Evening with Jay Leno on December 6 at Jones Hall.

Then, Catherine Lu interviews mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte and bass Daniel Noyola, two of the stars of Houston Grand Opera’s World Premiere mariachi opera, El Milagro del Recuerdo (The Miracle of Remembering). Composed by Javier Martínez with libretto by Leonard Foglia, it's only the third mariachi opera ever to be written. Set in Michoacán, Mexico in 1962 at Christmas, the story is a prequel to 2010’s Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. Performances are December 5-22 at the Wortham Center.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Closing Credits Theme and Houston Grand Opera’s El Milagro del Recuerdo trailer

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Catherine Lu chats with hip hop pioneer and legendary rapper Kurtis Blow, who is the MC of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. The national-touring holiday production comes to the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land on December 4.

Then, Ernie Manouse sits down with Dixie Longate of "Dixie's Tupperware Party" to talk about her latest show, Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull and 16 Other Things I Learned While I Was Drinking Last Thursday. It's on stage at The Hobby Center from December 14–22.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: Christmas Rappin’ by Kurtis Blow, The Hip Hop Nutcracker trailer and Dixie’s Tube Top trailer

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Ernie Manouse interviews Jeff Miller (director) and Tamarie Cooper (cast member and co-artistic director) about Baby Screams Miracle by Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Clare Barron. Described as a funny, moving tale of faith and survival, the show is being produced by The Catastrophic Theatre from November 22 – December 15 at MATCH.

Then, Catherine Lu chats with Houston Symphony Composer-in-Residence Jimmy López Bellido about his World Premiere “Symphony No. 2, Ad Astra,” dedicated to NASA and inspired by space travel. A culmination of his three-year residency, the piece is also a kind of love letter to Houston. Performances are December 5, 7 and 8 at Jones Hall.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: Invention No. 13 by J.S. Bach performed by András Schiff and Symphony No. 2, Ad Astra by Jimmy López Bellido (rehearsal excerpts) performed by the Houston Symphony, Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Catherine Lu chats with Houston arts writer Pete Gershon about Lawndale Art Center’s 40th Anniversary. They discuss the center's history and impact, from its DIY beginnings in 1979 as an annex for University of Houston art students and its role as an incubator for experimental art to current exhibits and plans for the future. Gershon is Chair of Lawndale’s Advisory Board and author of Collision: The Contemporary Arts Scene in Houston, 1972 – 1985.

Then, Ernie Manouse sits down with John Hemphill and Jessica E. Sherman, two of the stars of the National Touring Production of Evan Hansen. Broadway Across America presents this Tony and Grammy-Awarding winning musical at the Hobby Center from November 12 – 24.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: Philip Glass: Mad Rush from Glassmasters and Dear Evan Hansen courtesy of Broadway Across America

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Ernie Manouse interviews actor and attorney John Raley, who stars in Inherit the Wind. Cone Man Running Productions will present the classic play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, inspired by the Scopes Monkey Trial, November 14 – 23 at Spring Street Studios. Raley talks about his career in law, his love of acting and how the two intersect.

Then, Catherine Lu features a sound portrait of writer Addie Tsai. Produced originally for HPM’s Voices and Verses series, the segment explores Tsai’s love of poetry, life as a writer and her poem “My First Twenty-Dollar Bill.” Tsai's first book, a queer Asian young adult novel entitled Dear Twin, will be released on November 15 by Metonymy Press. Brazos Bookstore will present Tsai in a reading on November 14 at 6:30pm.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used in Addie Tsai's segment: Morning Passages from The Hours (excerpt) by Philip Glass/arr. Michael Riesman & Nico Mühly from The 5 Browns: In Hollywood, Fern (excerpt) by Zoë Keating from One Cello x 16: Natoma and Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt (excerpt) from Arvo Part: Alina

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Ernie Manouse interviews Broadway superstar and stage legend Bernadette Peters, who performs in Houston on November 2 at Jones Hall presented by Society for the Performing Arts.

Then, Catherine Lu previews the 7th Annual Houston Early Music Festival, November 7 – 17.  She finds out about the city’s early music scene, uniqueness of historical instruments and upcoming festival concerts from Houston Early Music Executive Director Deborah Dunham, Ars Lyrica Houston Artistic Director Matthew Dirst and Mercury Houston Artistic Director Antoine Plante. The festival also features American Baroque Opera Co., Bach Society Houston, La Speranza, Piping Rock Singers and Viols of Houston.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: Bernadette Peters - Fever, Ars Lyrica Houston - Heart & Soul and Mercury - L’estro Armonico

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Catherine Lu chats with MECA’s Resident Curator Theresa Escobedo and Program Director Liz Salinas about the traditions associated with Día de los Muertos and the organization’s free community festival in celebration of the holiday, from November 2–3.

Then, Ernie Manouse interviews Timothy Gulan and Brandon Michael Nase, who star in Broadway’s Cats, October 22 – 27 at the Hobby Center.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: Courtesy of Jilgueros de Altamira and Broadway Across America Houston

In this episode of the podcast “Unwrap Your Candies Now,” Ernie Manouse chats with Desdemona Chiang, director of Vietgone at the Alley Theatre, from Oct. 4 – Nov. 3. A mix of rom-com, road trip, hip-hop and 70s pop culture, the play by Qui Nguyen is inspired by the story of how his own parents met and fell in love in 1975 in an Arkansas camp for Vietnamese refugees.

Then, Catherine Lu learns more about the 12th Annual Houston Fringe Festival from producer and director Adam Castañeda. From a world premiere rock opera and genre-blending contemporary dance to solo acts and “Anything Goes,” the festival features local, regional and national performers. It runs from Oct. 24 – Nov. 10 at MATCH.

Share your comments, questions and ideas at [email protected].

Music used: Vietgone at Alley Theatre trailer