Angels and rock stars
"Thousands of people come to the holiday shows and it's kind of remarkable the way it all comes together," says Bardavon Executive Director Chris Silva. "Armies of people come and go within a day. We've got Norah Jones, "A Christmas Carol," the parade, the fireworks. There are 10 productions of Nutcracker and then we shift gears to Handel. The public never sees my office full of 20 three-foot-tall angels, not to mention the soldiers and rabbits and mice. Then there are a hundred singers and soloists and multiple hundreds of artists and tech crew and staff.... We take a break right after Christmas. We need to. December is a mind-spinning month.
"I've been at this 20 years; along with the new crop of angels showing up we have past angels bringing their own kids. It's a reassuring cycle. And then something happens like Natalie Merchant jumping onstage with Patti Smith, or the time Dylan came here and rehearsed for a day...that made my whole career."