Long before the holiday season officially begins, a spectacular transformation takes place at the Charleston Music Hall. For over three decades, thousands of locals and visitors have filled the seats to experience the dazzling choreography, world-class musical arrangements, and laugh-out-loud comedy of The Charleston Christmas Special.
As Charleston’s longest-running holiday show, it has welcomed an estimated 300,000 theatergoers through its doors. But behind this beloved Lowcountry tradition is an incredible story of two Broadway performers who fell in love, moved to Charleston, and took a massive leap of faith to bring high-production showbiz to the Holy City.
Here is a look back at the history of the Charleston Christmas Special, produced by the incomparable Brad and Jennifer Moranz.
A Broadway Love Story
The roots of the Christmas Special actually begin on the national touring stage. Brad Moranz—a seasoned Broadway actor who had played Cosmo in Singin' in the Rain and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors—met Jennifer, a talented former Radio City Music Hall Rockette and Broadway dancer from the company of 42nd Street, during a 1986 tour of Singin' in the Rain.
The two fell in love and decided they wanted a career that allowed them to work together full-time rather than taking separate touring roles. They transitioned into directing, teaching, and choreographing, even lending their skills to major film and television projects like George Lucas’ Radioland Murders.
By 1995, missing the stage, they dropped off their resumes at the Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach. Instead of hiring them for the beach, the owner asked them if they would move down to Charleston to help launch a brand-new, 1970s-style holiday variety show funded by the Family Channel.
That show was the very first Charleston Christmas Special, opening at the newly minted Charleston Music Hall on John Street. Brad and Jennifer planned to stay for just one year. They fell so deeply in love with Charleston that they sold their home elsewhere, packed their bags, and permanently made the Lowcountry their home.
Taking the Reins & Risking It All
In typical showbiz fashion, a major corporate curveball changed everything. The Family Channel was bought by Fox, which was later bought by Disney, and the new corporate owners decided to pull the plug on funding the Charleston show.
Suddenly, a budding Charleston holiday tradition was dead in its tracks.
Unwilling to leave the city they loved, Brad and Jennifer decided to do something frightening for career performers: they put up their own money and became independent producers. In 1998, they took over the reins completely, forming Moranz Entertainment to write, direct, cast, and choreograph the production entirely on their own.
The gamble paid off spectacularly. Year after year, the crowds grew, turning a single-week run into a massive December anchor event.
The Recipe for Holiday Magic
What makes the Charleston Christmas Special so enduring is that no two years are ever the same. Every single January, as soon as the curtains close on the previous season, Brad and Jennifer begin brainstorming a completely original show for the next winter.
The format is a masterclass in classic variety entertainment, featuring:
- World-Class Talent: Brad and Jennifer utilize their deep theater connections to audition and bring in elite professional singers, dancers, and musicians from across the country, alongside incredible local prodigies.
- Showstopping Choreography: Drawing on Jennifer's background as a Rockette, the show features razor-sharp precision routines and glamorous costume changes.
- A Powerhouse Live Band: Instead of backing tracks, the show relies on a highly skilled, tight live band that breathes new life into holiday classics, contemporary hits, and spiritual favorites.
- Vaudeville-Style Comedy: Brad and Jennifer still star in the show themselves, leading the comedic sketches. Playing the dynamic of the straight-man (Brad) and a hilarious, Carol Burnett-style comedienne (Jennifer), their comedy keeps generations of families laughing together.
A True Lowcountry Tradition
Celebrating over 30 spectacular years at the Charleston Music Hall, the Christmas Special is woven into the fabric of the local community. For hundreds of lowcountry families, the holidays simply haven't arrived until they've walked past the festive lights of John Street to catch Brad, Jennifer, and their incredible cast.
It stands as a beautiful reminder of how a little bit of Broadway polish, a lot of hard work, and a profound love for the local community can create a legacy that shines bright year after year.
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