Review: TINSELCOLOR: HOLIDAY SOUNDTRACKS LIVE at CineVita

Anyone who grew up celebrating Christmas knows that holiday music—its didactic lyrics and well-worn melodies—has a Pavlovian sort of power: steep yourself in it long enough and you’ll be made merry, whether you like it or not.

It’s this brand of acoustic nostalgia that For The Record founders Shane Scheel and Anderson Davis are banking on with their newest production, TINSELCOLOR: HOLIDAY SOUNDTRACKS LIVE, playing at the lavish new CineVita, across from SoFi Stadium, through December 30.

Inside the sprawling signature “spiegeltent” (it's the world’s largest, a handcrafted Belgian tent with 3,000 mirrors, stained glass, and carved wood), the show takes the music of popular films and performs it live onstage with the help of an eight-piece band and a knockout 13-member cast. TinselColor pulls music from the holiday movies you’d expect—including Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and It’s a Wonderful Life—plus less predictable snow-season fare like Home Alone, Goodfellas, and Die Hard.

It’s not musical theater. It’s not a concert. It’s not a cabaret. It’s a mixture of all of those things. 

And—in part due to the tent itself, which feels like something out of another era with its bow-tied ushers in pillbox caps and velvet tuxedos—it all works.

I was first introduced to CineVita when I saw its debut production, Tarantino Live, in February. That show, which For The Record has been loosely performing around town since 2010, spotlighted the music of Quentin Tarantino films. It was edgy and soaked in style, a sultry vibe made all the more potent by the allure of the tent itself. Honestly, I was in love with the space before I even heard the first song, and once I realized the cast was as stellar as the scenery, I was sold. 

After all, it isn’t often you find something that feels wholly original.

Which is why I wasn’t sure what to expect from TinselColor. Fresh off the sexy swagger of the Tarantino show, how could something as wholesome as Christmas cheer feel “cool”? And how can songs we’ve heard a hundred times feel new and exciting? 

But the new production proves that a talented cast, powerhouse voices, and a killer venue can sell anything.

Leading the company is former pop icon and New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre, an actor-singer who is no stranger to Christmas cheer after two Roku holiday movies: 2024’s Jingle Bell Love and its equally sentimental sequel, Jingle Bell Wedding, released this month

McIntyre is joined by principal performers Brian Justin Crum (2016's America’s Got Talent, and, recently, Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl), Ty Taylor (longtime For The Record alum and frontman of international soul-rock band Vintage Trouble), Cheyenne Isabel Wells (Paramount+’s Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies), and Dionne Gipson (For The Record founding member and Gina Quinn on NBC’s Found)—all of whom shine in their roles. 

Besides McIntyre—who nods to his boy-band heyday just once (earning a perfectly timed “Who are you again?” from charming 12-year-old costar Brayden Gleave)—there are several standout performances. The charismatic Taylor, a Broadway touring veteran, not only has a commanding voice but also a bluesy, soulful style that makes even the most time-worn melodies feel effortlessly new.

Gipson is also a force onstage—she and costar Wells prove themselves untouchably talented with their spirited duet of “All I Want for Christmas,” a fiery vocal duel in which each delivers an equally dazzling performance.

Gleave, who made his For The Record debut at the age of 10 in 2023’s Love Actually Live! at the Wallis Annenberg Center, is confidently relaxed in his role as the pajama-clad Kevin from Home Alone, with jokey quips and sweet solos that make him both adorable and up to the task (and he can play the drums!).

As for the music, the setlist includes familiar faves like “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and a showstopping performance of The Nightmare Before Christmas’ “What’s This?” powered by Crum’s rockstar pipes.

The four dancers also deserve a shout-out. With spot-on choreography by Sumie Maeda, they bring the music to life physically, embodying Christmas cheer with every high kick and skirt-flipping twirl.

With playful, sparkle-heavy costume design by Steve Mazurek, TinselColor is, in all senses of the word, a spectacle. It’s a whirlwind of sequins, snow, and merriment, with a veritable Santa’s sleigh-full of artistry and creative ambition that, in my opinion, is reason enough to love it.

And the venue! With a wraparound balcony, carved wooden booths, and clusters of cabaret tables circling the intimate stage—all dressed in holly and lights for the season—CineVita’s spiegeltent feels like stepping into a 1920s Hollywood speakeasy. The fact that you can order food and drinks during the show only ups the immersive ante. You don’t just watch the show; you experience it.

A quick glance around the room at press opening said it all: the audience was gazing up at the stage, all enchanted smiles and bright eyes, like little kids watching the Disneyland fireworks. Or visions of sugarplums. 

The Christmas music was working.

Overall, the moody-cool vibe of the space and the caliber of performances grant the schmaltz a pass. McIntyre’s crooning “When You Wish Upon a Star,” by the Christmas tree, for instance, feels more cute than cringe, and the finale—a chorus line-style brigade that has the full cast loaded up the stairs in sequin suits—lands as triumphant rather than cliché.

Lastly, it should be noted that the whole thing feels very LA, with its musical homage to Christmas being, really, an homage to moviemaking itself. 

We live in a place, after all, where anything is possible, much like the movies themselves. You want a white Christmas? Cue set design. Want holiday cheer? Play the soundtrack. Want Christmas spirit? Head to CineVita. 

TINSELCOLOR: HOLIDAY SOUNDTRACKS LIVE is playing at CineVita, 1248 District Drive in Iglewood (next to SoFi Stadium) through December 30. Tickets start at $39 and are available at thecinevita.com. 

Los Angeles Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Hollywood Bowl)

7.6% of votes

2. HEATHERS (Backyard Playhouse: Treetop Production)

5.5% of votes

3. HAIR (Conundrum Theatre)

5.3% of votes

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