THEATER
HERE'S LOVE. Can a street-corner Santa be the real thing in disguise? This musical adaptation of Miracle on 34th Street, at last getting the revival it deserves at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., answers that question in the happy affirmative.
THE CHRISTMAS REVELS. This wonderful mix of classical and traditional music, medieval theater and whatnot else is now staged in seven cities -- Cambridge, Mass.; Hanover, N.H.; New York City; Oakland; Philadelphia; Washington; and Houston. This is not a tour: these are separate productions, each under local control, each a little different. Performance dates differ but range from Dec. 5 to 29.
MUSIC
A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR (ABKCO Records). A card-carrying classic; not only the definitive Christmas house shaker but also a paradigm of Wagnerian rock at its most ingenuous. From the Ronettes melting the heart of Frosty the Snowman to Darlene Love's soul-scorching Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), this is Phil Spector's grandest production.
NAT KING COLE: COLE, CHRISTMAS & KIDS (Capitol). Most of us have heard the great man cook up his "chestnuts roasting on an open fire," but this collection pulls together a graceful, occasionally goofy group of 13 Cole Yuletide greetings. He wrings some swing out of All I Want for Christmas, goes mitten-to-mitten with a chorus of brats on Frosty the Snowman and does a silken Brahms' Lullaby. And, yes, The Christmas Song is here too -- talk about pulling chestnuts out of the fire.
MARCUS ROBERTS: PRAYER FOR PEACE (RCA/Novus). This terrific young jazz pianist doesn't do things the easy way. He performs 14 seasonal songs, ranging from the shimmering Silver Bells to a Tatum-tinged Auld Lang Syne, with due reverence for both tradition and experimentation. Music appropriate for either a Christmas Eve service or a secular late-night eggnog.
HELEN MERRILL: CHRISTMAS SONG BOOK (JVC). The vocal event of the season and just possibly the best new jazz vocal album of the year. Merrill, a singer in the great tradition of June Christy and Chris Connor, comes to the Christmas party using the eloquent arrangements of Torrie Zito to bring some fresh feeling to standards (such as White Christmas) and offers up a few surprises (tunes by Claude Thornhill and Thad Jones).
MESSIAH, 3 Vols. (harmonia mundi). Handel's Messiahs -- that's right, Handel composed more than one version of his beloved oratorio -- have become a holiday ritual since the premiere 250 years ago. A pragmatist as well as a great composer, Handel penned several alternative sections to accommodate the strengths and limitations of different musical ensembles. This recording assembles, as addenda, all the alternative arias, recitatives and choruses (hence the three volumes). Nicholas McGegan, a major authentic-period- instrument and practiced Handel conductor, leads marvelous singers and players in a splendid performance. Hallelujah!
BOOKS