Church Brings back performances of ‘The Living Christmas Tree’

The talent will be stacked tall this weekend at Community Lutheran Church, 3720 E. Tropicana Ave. After a five-year hiatus, "The Living Christmas Tree: A Celebration of Christmas in Song" is scheduled to return.

Bruce Ewing, who serves as a worship leader and the choir director at the church, is excited about the return. He recently finished a run as one of the cast members of "Phantom ---- The Las Vegas Spectacular."

"We did it in 2005, 2006 and 2007," he said of "The Living Christmas Tree." "When I took over the choir director job, I was still involved in 'Phantom,' and I've not been able to do a big production over here. I'm doing another show at night now, but I made time so we could do 'The Living Christmas Tree.' "

The tree itself is a huge set piece, designed to go as high as possible in the altar sanctuary of the church. Singers stand in rows, with each row a little narrower and higher, so that on the bottom of the tree, around 20 people are singing near the floor. At the top, a single singer is perched near the ceiling.

That role will be filled by Amanda Yardley, who performed with "The Living Christmas Tree" in 2006 and 2007.

"I'm really excited about it," she said. "I was on the second row from the top last time we did it. I'm pretty short, so I have to stand on a step stool up there."

Yardley is attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and hopes to attend seminary and become the youth director of a church.

"It's neat to look out from so high and see the audience and the stage," Yardley said. "It's also a little creepy because you can't see the people that are below you."

Ewing said, "It's really going to be beautiful. We have about 100 singers in the chorus, and the tree is decorated with 15,000 lights. We've got about 12 dancers, a small orchestra of 15 people, and we have bell ringers."

The performers have been rehearsing separately in various spaces on the church's campus, but Ewing is confident it will all come together.

"We're pulling it all together now," he said. "The tree is going up, we've got volunteers decorating the church and sanctuary, and the electricians are getting the lights up."

Ewing said the show will include several secular favorites, as well as traditional Christmas music and some new pieces.

"We'll start out with 'We Need a Little Christmas' and 'The Christmas Waltz,' " he said. "We'll be doing standard Christmas music and old hymns but orchestrated and arranged specifically for the choir."

Unlike previous years, the performances will be free.

"In the past we charged admission," Ewing said. "This year we decided we wanted to give it as a gift for Las Vegas."

"The Living Christmas Tree" is scheduled at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit communitylv.org or call 702-458-2241.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.