‘The Gilded Age’ Musical Is Finally Happening — as a Christmas Album

"Voices of The Gilded Age: The Christmas Album" puts the HBO series' cast of Broadway stars to proper use, with Audra McDonald, Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Kelli O'Hara, Morgan Spector, and more performing a slew of holiday classics and two new songs.

With a cast born from Broadway, HBO’s “The Gilded Age” has always presented a vexing paradox for its fiercest fans. On the one hand, Julian Fellowes’ juicy melodrama enlists one of the finest ensembles imaginable to bring outsized intensity to a drama of manners. On the other hand, the call sheet reads like a who’s who of modern musical theater; a company of vocalists so talented that limiting their range to the spoken word is akin to gathering the world’s Olympians and asking them all to play badminton. The matches would be pretty fun — and very silly — but it’s hardly the best showcase for their skills.

If those hands could come together — forming, say, a musical episode where George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) hosted a caroling competition to benefit laid off railroad workers — then ta-da! Problem solved. But the show’s core constitution doesn’t leave much wiggle room for genre experiments, let alone tonal shifts into full-on song-and-dance mode.

But as the old saying goes: Theater finds a way.

“Voices of The Gilded Age: The Christmas Album” will be released Friday, November 6, featuring members of the cast performing “a new collection of beloved Christmas classics” as well as two original songs written by album producer Desmond Child.

So who among the star-studded ensemble is participating? [deep breath] Ben Ahlers, Christine Baranski, Laura Benanti, Denée Benton, Carrie Coon, Jordan Donica, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Kelli O’Hara, Taylor Richardson, Morgan Spector, Taylor Trensch, and Adrienne Warren are all heard on the 15-track album. (See below for a full list of songs and performers, but my most painful omissions are Nathan Lane and Patrick Page.)

The two new songs include “It’s Been Real” performed by Donna Murphy and “The World Needs Some Christmas,” performed by Ben Ahlers — which is available to stream now.

While Coon and Spector are limited to reading “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (split into three parts and spaced across the album), they do seem to be in character as they describe hung stockings and dancing sugar plums. Baranski gets the solo show a Sondheim veteran deserves in “We Need a Little Christmas,” McDonald provides her staggering vocals to “I Wonder As I Wander,” and the legendary Kelli O’Hara (a nine-time Tony nominee and bonafide opera star) contributes her rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” before joining fellow Tony-winners McDonald and Murphy for “I Remember.”

A Christmas album may not offer the same electric delights as even a televised version of musical theater — dare we even dream of a live musical episode? — but the cast’s submission to fans’ demands is quite the gesture. Best to accept their offering with the grace of the season (and enjoy “The Gilded Age” when it returns November 1 for Season 4.)

Here’s the “Voices of the Gilded Age: The Christmas Album” tracklist:

1. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” — Brian Stokes Mitchell
2. “We Need A Little Christmas” — Christine Baranski
3. “’Twas The Night Before Christmas (Part 1)” — Carrie Coon & Morgan Spector
4. “The World Needs Some Christmas” — Ben Ahlers
5. “I Remember” — Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy & Kelli O’Hara
6. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” — Kelli O’Hara
7. “O Holy Night” — Denée Benton & Jordan Donica
8. “I Wonder As I Wander” — Audra McDonald
9. “’Twas The Night Before Christmas (Part 2)” — Carrie Coon & Morgan Spector
10. “Let It Snow” — Taylor Richardson & Taylor Trensch
11. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” — Adrienne Warren
12. “Wexford Carol” — Celia Keenan-Bolger & Laura Benanti
13. “Just In Time For Christmas” — Laura Benanti
14. “’Twas The Night Before Christmas (Part 3)” — Carrie Coon & Morgan Spector
15. “It’s Been Real” — Donna Murphy