SugarPlum Fairies Slated for Mid-December
By Susan Payne
Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles is bringing candy-coated goodness to its upcoming beloved holiday events in December, beginning its 46th season.
From choral holiday traditions to popular hits that celebrate joyful confections, SugarPlum Fairies is a combination of all things holiday, whimsical and traditional performed by GMCLA, a nonprofit performing arts organization that sings for a future free from homophobia and all other discrimination. Its chorus and dance troupe make up nearly 250 members that volunteer through song and dance and perform at events year round and regularly throughout its seasons.
“Not only does our chorus sing, but we also have a smaller troop of GMCLA members who dance. We have a fully realized production and costumes that align with our theme, weaving all the songs together and telling a story. Our shows are choir music meets theatre, meets dance, and even more than that,” said Lou Spisto, GMCLA’s executive director and producer. “We’re a community of people wanting to celebrate with everyone who wants to take part in our audience.”
Comprising nearly 25 candy-themed songs, GMCLA’s SugarPlum Fairies will bring its audience members into a world of “Pure Imagination” as a special tribute to the music of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the new Wonka. From classic melodies like “Dance of the SugarPlum Fairies” in The Nutcracker to popular hits like Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” and Sia’s “Candy Cane Lane,” a ticket to this event is sure to be golden.
“We have incredible songs planned from both the original Willy Wonka and the new Wonka film, pop songs like Candy Cane Lane by Sia, Lollipop by The Chordettes, some Madonna songs, and so much more,” Spisto said. “This show is going to be a candy-themed celebration of who are and a resounding commitment to staying true to our community.”
While GMCLA often sings and makes musical appearances year round, SugarPlum Fairies marks the beginning of its 2024-25 season, a total of three main stage concerts, including Rhinestone Cowboys in March and Dancing Queens in June.
“Rhinestone Cowboys is going to be an explosion of sequins, color and everything you never thought would be associated with cowboy. We know country music is incredibly popular today, and artists like Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton have been icons in, and there’s Beyoncé and Lil Nas X and the new generation that are part of our community, so whether it’s our community or the broader community, we are celebrating country with of course, camp,” Spisto said.
Recently, a chorus of GMCLA members were featured on an episode of ABC’s Golden Bachelorette singing a surprise rendition of “The Mansion Men” written by Kim Buike, a retired Navy captain and contestant on the show.
“GMCLA got to be a part of a program that reaches millions of people from across America, many of whom know us and love us, many of whom don’t know us, and perhaps some who don’t love or like us at all, or maybe think differently about things than we do. The fact that we were present and accounted for, singing magnificently and looking incredible, it was wonderful to see that we’re important and we count. We’re visible and not going anywhere,” Spisto said.
Tickets for SugarPlum Fairies, slated for Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 16 at 3:30 p.m. at the Saban Theatre, are on sale now. For more information, visit www.GMCLA.org. “You’re going to see and experience something beautiful here and equally important, you’re going to feel something and be a part of our community. The audience is as much part of our concerts as we are on stage. It’s a love fest. It is an outpouring of love,” Spisto said.
