The stage was dominated by the magnificent “Nutcracker” sets of the Atlanta Ballet as Larry-Douglas appeared from stage left, dressed in a full-length mink fur coat, being drawn across the stage in a sleigh from the Nutcracker set. The coat came off to reveal a sparkling jacket and the applause with cat whistles from the audience helped introduce the evenings fun which began with a sing-a-long of “Jingle Bells.” Several visiting observers have remarked on the rapport that Mr. Embury possesses with his audiences, and the Christmas program certainly reached a new peak of enthusiasm. Following the opening song, the curtains parted to reveal the church choirs of Zion Hill Baptist Church and Ebenezer Baptist Church (the Atlanta church where Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr. served as pastor). The choirs, all strikingly dressed in red tops, sang Mr. Embury’s choral arrangement of “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” featuring a dynamically altered rhythm pattern. The audience joined the organ for two more songs which included the perennial favorites “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Deck the Halls.” Then members of the legendary Atlanta Boy Choir came on stage singing “Frosty the Snowman,” and as they sang, the orchestra lift rose with the remaining members of the choir. During the applause that followed their song, a second curtain parted, revealing the church choirs once again. The stage full of choirs joined the organ for “Let It Snow,” and, magically, snow began to fall onto both the stage and the audience. Following enthusiastic applause, the organ descended, the choirs departed, and the story of Miracle on 34th Street unfolded on the silver screen. The film was received with the typical enthusiasm of a Fox Theatre audience, many of whom evidently had not previously seen the movie.
After the film, Mr. Embury brought the Möller up to concert level with “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and the organ took center stage (even though it is located on the left side of the house). The musical program that followed was all Larry-Douglas Embury, opening with “The Little Drummer Boy,” featuring all the available Ludwig drums in the organ resounding throughout the auditorium. Following that percussive feast, Mr. Embury then took to the keyboard of the 6’ Baldwin gold leaf phantom piano for his wonderful, memorable arrangement of “The Christmas Song” that in this second year has already become a favorite moment in the Christmas program. He then returned to the Möller for a moving rendition of Away in a Manger that combined the two versions of the carol in one arrangement. Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” followed and no one plays it with more panache and energy than Larry-Douglas. East met west when “We Three Kings” thundered into the auditorium full of reeds and non-tremulated registrations. Then curtains parted once again and the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus joined the organ and the audience for a rousing Joy to the World. The program concluded with organ, piano and chorus performing We Wish you the Merriest. Once again, an often-used and beloved theatre organ, the Mighty Mo, the popular organist-in-residence, Larry-Douglas Embury, a visionary theatre management at the Fox, and the wonderful music of Christmas, all combined to insure a resounding musical success and a very special and memorable evening for the people of Atlanta. Larry Davis, President,
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