Rex & Friends Will Perform HEART OF THE HOLIDAYS

ArtsUP! LA and Rex & Friends will perform Heart of the Holidays, taking place December 6 through 14 on Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 3pm at ArtsUP! LA’s theater, The Blue Door in Culver City. Led by musician Rex-Lewis Clack, the 27-year-old blind and autistic pianist hailed as a musical savant by “60 Minutes,” the holiday play was created and is directed by Laurie Grant, with musical direction by Laurie Grant and Devin Weitz. The technical team includes prop master Yaro and lighting designer Doug Gabrielle.

Everyone is invited to enjoy this celebratory play with songs about the importance of community and inclusion. The play includes joyful performances of holiday favorites, including Carol of the Bells, Up on the Rooftop, Run Run Rudolph, The Santa Claus Boogie, Skating (an instrumental by Rex), Angels We Have Heard on High, Grown Up Christmas List, Santa Baby, Pure Imagination, White Christmas, (Everybody’s) Waitin’ For the Man with the Bag, Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow, All I Want for Christmas is You, Happy Holidays, and The Holiday Season. Be ready to join in if a few songs are shared as an audience sing-along!

The cast of Heart of the Holidays includes Rex Lewis-Clack (piano and vocals), Patrick Storey (vocals), Cecilia Mallon (vocals, guitar, bass), August McAdoo (drums, vocals), Alan Davis (vocals), Olena Calderon (vocals), Julio Hoyos (vocals), Gaby Gutierrez (electric harp), all of whom are extraordinary performers who have discovered the power of music to transcend disabilities.

Rex & Friends provides training and performance opportunities for musicians with disabilities, during which participants develop their musical repertoire in an environment that grows friendships, self-esteem, and interpersonal skills while performing for live and virtual audiences. After each performance, a member of the cast will share what the Rex & Friends experience has meant to them.