Review: NOEL: JESUS IS BORN! at Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center has never presented a Christmas spectacular in house before. That is until now. Noel: Jesus is Born! was a family friendly concert in the Opera House that featured lots of great music, some really good talent, and above all, conveyed the true meaning of the season. It’s not all about those big sales or even giving gifts.

From the preshow piano stylings of Patrick Shorts, and the swingin’ vocals of Charles Billingley and his big band, to the staged depiction of the Greatest Story Ever Told, this show had something for everyone. This production also featured the lighting of the Inaugeral Kennedy Center Christmas Tree.

Much of Noel: Jesus is Born! depended on the great music that comes out around this time of year. Charles Billingsley, who also served as the show’s producer, hit the stage in the style of those great Las Vegas crooners like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra to deliver such Christmas classics as “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “Dig That Crazy Santa Claus.” These songs and others featured some kickin’ swing arrangements that were executed superbly by a nineteen-piece big band under the direction of Mr. Billingsley’s longtime musical collaborator, Adam Lancaster. The band’s sound reminded me of the good ol’ days when having four trumpets, four trombones and five saxophones was the norm. Nowadays, you’re lucky if there are two washboards and a kazoo.

As much as the big band was a pleasure to listen to, the show suffered from some sound balance issues.  At least from where I was sitting in the theatre, the band drowned out Billingley’s vocals whenever they started to really cook. There were at least a few spots where I lost the vocals entirely. I’ll just chalk the situation up to there being limited tech time. I understand how compressed the schedule can get for these types of shows.

Recording artist/songwriter Matthew West provided what I consider to be two of my favorite moments of the night. “Come Home for Christmas” and “Back to Bethlehem” are two of West’s original compositions and listening to them made me realize how talented Matthew West really is. The first is the title song from his latest album release. I could have listened to him sing forever.

Aside from Billingsley’s big band, the show utilized something that is becoming exceedingly rare. I’m talking about the use of a sizeable REAL string section. Those instruments are usually the first to be cut for a keyboard, and trust me, it’s never the same. In this case we had ten violins, three violas and three celli. The string players were members of the mighty Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. When I say that their performance of John Williams’ “Somewhere in My Memory” from Home Alone was of a higher power, I am not kidding. It was that heavenly to hear.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson gave a Scripture reading leading into a staged depiction of the Nativity scene featuring a live donkey and local talent portraying Mary, Joseph, and others. Three familiar favorites, “Ave Maria,” “Away in the Manger,” and “O Come Let Us Adore Him,” accompanied the scene. This section featured Billingley, the fine gospel vocalist TaRanda Greene, and the gorgeous-sounding National Christian Choir Ensemble under the direction of Kathy Bowman. This section really bought home the true meaning of Christmas. The show continued outside after the band finished playing "Feliz Navidad" with a live nativity scene where families could have time for photos and just enjoy.

Washington National Opera’s lighting supervisor and lighting designer extraordinaire AJ Guban provided lots of colorful and attractive lighting throughout.

As this was the first time Kennedy Center attempted this kind of production, I did feel there were two things that could have been executed better.

First off, some of the transitions felt a little jagged. For example, we had big band/ swing style music for the first twenty or thirty minutes, complete with a visit from Santa Claus. Then the show quickly shifted to a more solemn tone with the song “Truly Home” featuring Billingsley’s vocals and Adam Lancaster on guitar. This original song allowed Billingsley to share his feelings about his mother’s first Christmas in heaven. While its inclusion made sense within the show itself, the transition into it was very abrupt. It required the audience to quickly adapt to the tonal shift.

Secondly, I wish that all the talent was featured equally. I understand that Charles Billingley was the headliner and that he put together the show with Kennedy Center leadership support. However, when you have huge talents like Matthew West and TaRanda Greene on the bill, it would have been nice for them to have equal stage time.

Overall, Noel: Jesus is Born! at Kennedy Center was a very good first attempt at producing a Christmas spectacular for the whole family. With just a few tweaks to the show’s vision and possibly more tech time to smooth out the wrinkles, this kind of offering could very well be a new holiday tradition for years to come.

Running Time: Two Hours and ten minutes plus a fifteen-minute preshow.

Noel: Jesus is Born! was a one-night-only engagement in the Opera House at the Kennedy Center on December 17th, 2025. The venue is located at 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC.
Lead photo credit: Charles Billinagsly and the National Christian Choir Ensemble in the Kennedy Center production of Noel: Jesus is Born!