Have You Heard of Christmas? explained

Have You Heard of Christmas?
Director:Doron Max Hagay
Starring:Matt Rogers
Cinematography:Charlotte Hornsby
Editing:Ryan McIlraith
Studio:Rotten Science
Distributor:Showtime
Runtime:55 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English

Have You Heard of Christmas? is a holiday musical comedy TV special written by and starring Matt Rogers.[1] The special was released on Showtime on December 2, 2022, and features original songs, stand-up, and comedy sketches from Rogers and guest stars.

The TV special was filmed at Joe's Pub in New York City in front of a live audience with Rogers being accompanied by Henry Koperski on the piano.[2] Rogers also performed the special in a North American tour in the winter of 2022.[3]

Capitol Records released Rogers' Have You Heard of Christmas? album on November 3, 2023. Derived from the TV special, the album features 12 tracks with new mixes.[4]

Synopsis

Have You Heard of Christmas? follows Matt Rogers and his journey to becoming part of the Christmas canon and establishing himself as the "Pop Prince of Christmas." The musical numbers are intercut with comedic sketches of Rogers and his team coordinating his special and attempting to book the "Queen of Christmas" herself, Mariah Carey. The nine original musical numbers cover topics such as love, infidelity, God, and the true meaning of Christmas.

Cast

Musical numbers

Note: Song titles are not officially listed

  1. "(Also) It's Christmas"
  2. "Lube for the Sleigh"
  3. "Have You Heard of Christmas"
  4. "Hottest Female up in Whoville" (with a spoken word introduction of Where Are You Christmas?)
  5. "Every Christmas Eve"
  6. "Rockafella Centa"
  7. "I'ma Have Your Back (This Christmas)" (featuring Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson)
  8. "God & His Tricks (I Am Real)"
  9. "You Still Make it Rain (On Christmas)"

Reception

Vulture Magazine critic Kathryn VanArendonk called the special " incredible... buoyant and shiny and memorable, and by making it a musical special, Rogers captures that ineffable thing about the holiday that's so captivating and inane and hard to hit."[5] Variety Magazine writer Marc Malkin praised Roger's performance, calling the special "proudly queer with Sandra Bernhard's comedy, Liza Minelli's camp and Hugh Jackman's showmanship running through Rogers' rainbow-colored tinsel."[6] In Describer Magazine, Sean L. McCarthy states: "Rogers both seeks to deconstruct and mock the Christmas industrial shopping complex, while also placing himself firmly within its firmament."[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Matt Rogers Have You Heard of Christmas? SHOWTIME . 2022-12-30 . SHO.com . en-US.
  2. Web site: VanArendonk . Kathryn . 2022-12-01 . Matt Rogers Makes the Yuletide Gay . 2022-12-30 . Vulture . en-us.
  3. Web site: Fessler . Jared . Interview: Matt Rogers of MATT ROGERS: HAVE YOU HEARD OF CHRISTMAS? at Varsity Theater . 2022-12-30 . BroadwayWorld.com . en.
  4. Web site: Schube . Will . Matt Rogers Announces 'Have You Heard Of Christmas?,' Shares 'Also It's Christmas' . uDiscoverMusic.com . . December 16, 2023 . October 6, 2023.
  5. Web site: VanArendonk . Kathryn . 2022-12-01 . Matt Rogers Makes the Yuletide Gay . 2022-12-30 . Vulture . en-us.
  6. Web site: Malkin . Marc . 2022-12-01 . 'Fire Island' Star Matt Rogers Hopes His New Showtime Christmas Special Gets Him Lube Product Placement . 2022-12-30 . Variety . en-US.
  7. Web site: 'Matt Rogers: Have You Heard Of Christmas?' Showtime Review: Stream It or Skip It? . 2022-12-30 . en-US.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Have You Heard of Christmas?".

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