Album Notes

"That Time of the Year" is a musical revue of 25 all-original Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years songs. This 2-Disc original concept cast recording captures all the warmth and humor of this unique interfaith holiday celebration, which has been receiving raves since it first premiered in New York City in December 1996. With its talented young cast of five Broadway performers, "That Time of the Year" offers a wide variety of material running the musical gamut from show tunes to rock, blues and jazz. The songs, with lyrics by the ASCAP award-winning team of Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman and music by seven different composers, range from funny, upbeat group numbers highlighting the joys and anxieties of the holiday season to beautiful, touching ballads about the meaning behind the holidays.

Highlights include "Angelo Rosenbaum", a number about a "Catholic Jew" in search of someone with whom he can celebrate both holidays, "Time for a Spin," an appeal from a bored dreidel, "Stay Home Tonight," the Christmas Eve plea of a sultry Mrs. Claus to her husband, and "Fruitcake Lament," an Andrews Sisters-like salute to everyone's least favorite holiday gift. In the course of the recording, we also meet a holocaust survivor who finds new meaning in the Hanukkah candles, a lesbian who decides to "come out" on Christmas, and the New Testament's Joseph, who sings of his surprise upon learning that Mary is with child. In addition, the recording offers a couple of brand new Christmas carols that are destined to become perennial favorites. "That Time of the Year" is a terrific collection of clever and catchy holiday tunes that is sure to have listeners singing along.

Among the vast array of Christmas recordings available each year, there are only a handful of Hanukkah albums, virtually all of which offer recordings of traditional Hebrew Hanukkah songs, with an occasional rendition of the children's favorite "I Have a Little Dreidel" thrown in. There are very few, if any, Hanukkah CD's which contain original contemporary songs, and there are no recordings that encompass both Christmas and Hanukkah. It is with that in mind that "That Time of the Year" was created. The CD offers listeners the opportunity to celebrate their own holiday and enjoy the other festivities of the season, as well.

Concept & Lyrics by: Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman
Music by: Sanford Marc Cohen, Nicholas Levin, Donald Oliver, Kyle Rosen, Brad Ross, Mark Wherry & Wendy Wilf
Featuring: Kerri Jill Garbis, Chad Kimball, Leslie Kritzer, Rebecca Kupka & Thom Christopher Warren
Music Supervisor: James Mironchik
Directed by: Annette Jolles

In keeping with the spirit of the holiday season, all profits from the sale of this CD will go to benefit Memorial Sloan-Kettering Pediatric Cancer Research.