Santa Claus is
Coming to Town
Morning Music favourites Melissa Langton and Mark Jones team up with opera and cabaret star David Rogers-Smith to wish you a very Merry Christmas!
You’ve never been to Christmas party quite like this! Mario Lanza’s pouring eggnog for Bette Midler while Nat King Cole plays swinging versions of Silent Night and Come All Ye Faithful!
Fabulous vocal arrangements, Jokes about Three Wise Men walking into a stable – and it wouldn’t be Christmas without a good sing-a-long round the Steinway!
Mary’s Boy Child, Cool Yule, Oh Holy Night, Santa Baby, Jerusalem and of course Santa Claus Is Coming To Town!
And let’s not forget classic Aussie Christmas songs like Deck the Sheds With Bits of Wattle and Have Yourselves a Ripper Christmas!
Don your Santa hats and strap your tinsel on. It’s going to be a bumpy sleigh ride!
See excerpts here from
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Melissa Langton
Melissa has been performing since 1992 when she appeared in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR – THE CONCERT (Harry M Miller/IMG). Other music theatre credits include LES MISERABLES (Cameron Macintosh), the role of Killer Queen in WE WILL ROCK YOU (Louise Withers & Assoc.), MARRY ME A LITTLE, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, THE MIKADO, HMS PINAFORE, CRUSADE, LIFE BY DROWNING, BRIGADOON, SIDESHOW ALLEY, AFTER THE BEEP, EUROBEAT and THREEPENNY OPERA (The Victorian Opera) and for The Production Company; CAROUSEL (Nettie Fowler), 42ND STREET (Maggie Jones), FOLLIES (Stella Deems), DAMN YANKEES (Gloria Thorpe), CRAZY FOR YOU (Patricia Fodor) and SUGAR (Sweet Sue).
She recently appeared in two World Premiere Australian productions; STRANGE BEDFELLOWS in the role of Vonny and HOW TO KILL YOUR HUSBAND in the role of Angel, for the Victorian Opera, for which she received a Green Room Nomination for Best Female Performance in an Opera. She also performed in Matthew Robinsons ATLANTIS IN CONCERT, performed the role of Jack’s Mother in The Victorian Opera’s production of INTO THE WOODS, was part of The Angel City Four in CITY OF ANGELS and played the role of Carmen Bernstein in The Production Company’s production of Kander & Ebb’s CURTAINS.
She also regularly performs in concerts and at corporate functions including THE AUSTRALIAN POPS ORCHESTRA, TWISTED BROADWAY, THE ROB GUEST ENDOWMENT CONCERT, HATS OFF, SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM (In Concert) and Stonnington’s MUSICAL MELODIES IN THE PARK and CAROLS.
Melissa is renowned for devising and performing her own cabaret shows alongside her husband Mark Jones, and has performed her cabarets in Australia, New York and Dublin and at many festivals including The Adelaide Cabaret Festival, The Auckland Festival and at The Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne. She returned to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival with EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE (except for me and my monkey). Her production of GET BACK – The Songs of Lennon & McCartney toured Australia in 2012. Her cabaret, A SINGER MUST DIE, was performed during Melbourne Fringe in 2013 and also during the 2014 Melbourne Cabaret Festival. It was voted one of the top 10 shows of 2013 by The Melbourne Herald Sun. She most recently produced and performed in CYRENS at The Adelaide Cabaret Festival and The Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
As a member of THE FABULOUS SINGLETTES, Melissa has performed throughout Europe and Australia for festivals and corporate functions including, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Adelaide Cabaret Festival and The Australian Grand Prix
Melissa received 2002 Green Room Awards for Best Cabaret Artist and Best Cabaret Ensemble (with Mark Jones). Melissa was the winner of The 2001 Sydney Cabaret Convention.
Mark Jones
Mark Jones’s credits as a singer/actor include; A Golem Story (Malthouse Theatre), The School For Wives (Bell Shakespeare), Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd (Malthouse Theatre & Arena Theatre), The Beautiful Losers (The Melbourne Comedy Festival, Malthouse Theatre, The Adelaide Cabaret Festival), Cyrens (The Adelaide and Melbourne Cabaret Festivals), Cautionary Tales For Children (The Victorian Arts Centre, Arena Theatre Company), Good Evening – The Sketches of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore (National Tour), The Suicide Show (The Victorian Arts Centre), Elizabeth – Almost by Chance a Woman (Malthouse Theatre), Eurobeat (Korean Tour), Three Weill Men (Adelaide Cabaret Festival, The Famous Spiegeltent), Everybody’s Got Something to Hide (except for me and my monkey) (The Adelaide Cabaret Festival, National Tour) and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Anthill, Chapel off Chapel).
He is one of Melbourne’s busiest cabaret musical directors. He has accompanied some of Australia’s top cabaret artists including Judi Connelli, Toni Lamond, Melissa Langton, Silvie Paladino, Chelsea Gibb, Geraldine Quinn, Dolly Diamond and Marina Prior.
Compositional credits include Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd, Cautionary Tales For Children, The Beautiful Losers, After The Beep, The Tales of Peter Rabbit, Pinocchio – The Greatest Little Show On Earth, Carnival Joe, Elizabeth – Almost by Chance a Woman and A Golem Story.
Green Room Awards: Cyrens (Best Musical Director of a Cabaret 2017), Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd (Best Actor and Best Composition 2010), The Beautiful Losers (Best Cabaret Ensemble 2007 & 2006), Three Weill Men (Best Musical Direction of a Cabaret 2003), Me and Mr Jones (Best Cabaret Ensemble 2002) and Jacques Brel is Alive And Well And Living In Paris (Best Cabaret 2000).
Helpman Award Nomination: Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd (Best Actor 2010)
David Rogers-Smith
David Rogers-Smith is a regular on the opera, musical theatre, concert, oratorio and cabaret stages. He has performed with all major orchestras in Australia (SSO, MSO, APO), includng appearing with the MSO duetting with Ben Folds.
Career credits include over 2,500 performances as Ubaldo Piangi for the International and Australasian tours of The Phantom of the Opera, Brujon/Jean Valjean cover for the International tour of Les Miserables, the Ziegfeld Tenor in Funny Girl, Mary Sunshine cover in Chicago, Forbidden Broadway 2000, Brian in Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, Buddy Plummer in Follies in Concert, Sondheim’s Marry Me A Little; General Kromov in The Merry Widow with Marina Prior; Zaza in La Cage aux Folles opposite John O’May.
Operatic credits include Degas in Gaugin – A Synthetic Life, Ein sklave in Salome (Kirov Opera), Michele in The Saint of Bleecker Street, The Impresario in Mozart’s The Impresario and for Canberra’s Street Theatre he originated the role of David in the premiere of From A Black Sky. With Melbourne Opera he has played Lt BF Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, the title roles in both Pagliacci and Faust, Danilo in The Merry Widow and Don Jose in Carmen.
With Victorian Opera: Jules/Greenberg in Sunday In The Park With George, Into The Woods, Pirrelli in Sweeney Todd and originated the role of Alex in the new opera The Riders. This year David originated another role, Drew, in Paul Grabowsky and Steve Vizard’s Banquet of Secrets in both Melbourne and Brisbane.
David most recently appeared as Roscoe in Follies in Concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
David’s debut CD A Little Bit In Love was released in 2012.
Show Details
This show can be performed with just piano (Mark Jones on piano and vocals),
or can have bass and drums added in required. It can be performed as a one act 70 minute show, or a 2 act 40 minute show. Melissa and Mark can also perform this show without a special guest.
There is also the potential to make this event more of a community event, with local choirs or acts being involved, and even a Santa Claus to give out small gifts to the audience. We also provide a powerpoint program so that there can be a
singalong aspect for the audience.
Due to the small nature of this show, bump in can be done within a few hours of the show start time, with bump out taking less than an hour. A grand piano is required, but other musicians will provide their own instruments. A basic cabaret/concert lighting rig is required.
This show has been performed at many venues including The Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, The Karralyka Centre, The Lighthouse Theatre in Warrnambool, The Plenty Ranges Centre, The Drum Theatre in Dandenong and The Cardinia Cultural Centre.
Press the contact button above for further details.
