Noel & Maria: Christmas in a New Key

Noel & Maria return to the Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Arts Center on Sunday, December 6, for Christmas in a New Key!, their annual jazz holiday celebration. It's a reimagined show that comes back to the Booth every December and has sold out for several years running, so it's one of those Charlotte traditions that tends to fill up early.

The duo is pianist, vocalist and arranger Noel Freidline and actress and vocalist Maria Howell. They build the show on chemistry, re-interpreting some of the best music of the last 80 years with a fresh approach and witty banter they describe as harkening back to the Rat Pack. They're joined on stage by Juan Rollan on tenor sax and vocals, Zack Page on bass, and Justin Varnes on drums, with special guests Ray Greene on vocals and Karen Briggs on violin.

Both have a fair amount of ground behind them. Freidline has recorded nine CDs, including the Christmas album Merry Christmas, My Dear with Howell, has played jazz festivals worldwide, and has written and recorded for ESPN, ABC and the Walt Disney Company. Howell has appeared in films like The Color Purple, The Hunger Games, The Blind Side and Hidden Figures, and has shared the stage with Ray Charles, Ramsey Lewis, George Benson, Nancy Wilson, Tim Rice and Marvin Hamlisch.

The show is at the Booth Playhouse, 130 North Tryon Street in Charlotte, on Sunday, December 6, starting at 6 PM. Tickets start at $52.63.