Ring in the holidays England-style when John Freeman performs his show of traditional and popular English songs and holiday classics at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m.
After last year’s sellout St. Patrick’s crowd at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, John Freeman is back for an evening of English folk songs, Christmas songs, stories and humor.
“It dawned on me,” says John “that there was a lot of good material in England before the Beatles came along which was never heard in the USA.”
“Singers like Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey and Dusty Springfield were making hits over there long before they became popular in the United States,” continued John. “Dusty Springfield would sing with her two brothers and they were very popular. A good many of the songs are known in this country and people are surprised that they were first recorded in England.”
Performing at Christmas parties, John fits in some songs that are still popular over there. Somehow they never made it here.
There will be some charming children’s songs along some humorous ones John is known for. Plus, the evening will feature the usual stories of his experiences, which he never seems to run out of.
When in the Midwest, John was known as the man with a thousand songs.
“I actually knew over a thousand songs,” he says. “Neil Diamond, Glen Campbell, Willie Nelson and Gordon lightfoot — as well as show tunes — are just a few of the styles I would play.”
“People would request the Beatles and that gave me the opportunity to do some other British songs. It was always a delight when I got a request for them at other performances.”
John decided to do the show on Dec. 1 because it is right after Thanksgiving.
“Many people have friends staying with them for the holiday and are quite often looking for something fun to do. My show should give them something different to kick off the festive season.”
There will be Christmas songs. Many are known to the general public, but quite a few will be first heard by many.
“It was first suggested after the Saint Patrick’s Day performance — which was a huge success — that I did THIS show,” says John. “This is going to be a lot of fun!” (As John’s shows always are!)
Tickets for the show are $15 general admission and $13 for film festival members. All tickets include a meet-and-greet with John in the lobby after the show.