Salt Lake City’s annual holiday tradition is getting noticeably smaller this year. Instead of the usual month-long run of “Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will stage the production as a two-day concert with a live broadcast, condensing decades of full-scale staging into a single weekend at the historic Tabernacle on Temple Square.
The shift was reported by ABC4 Utah, which says the concert will run Friday, Nov. 27, and Saturday, Nov. 28, with 7:30 p.m. performances both nights plus an additional matinee on Saturday at 2 p.m. Rather than the full two-act musical, audiences will see a 70-minute concert version of Act 1, centered on anticipation and celebration of the Savior’s birth, according to the station’s report.
The presentation will lean on minimal staging rather than elaborate sets, with a live orchestra, stage actors and an expanded choir carrying the production, the outlet reports. ABC4 describes that choir as roughly 300 members made up of children, youth, young adults and adults, while Church News similarly reports the choir is expected to include about 300 people spanning the same age groups.
Free Tickets, But You'll Need One
All performances remain free, but advance tickets are required for entry, the station notes. ABC4 reports tickets become available online Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m. MDT, while Church News lists the same release time as 10 a.m. MST — the two outlets differ on the time zone, though both agree the tickets drop that Tuesday morning.
For those who can't snag a seat or attend in person, the Saturday-night show offers another way in. The Nov. 28 concert will be streamed live in English and American Sign Language on YouTube and Broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, per the same report, giving the production a reach well beyond the Tabernacle's walls.
A Two-Decade Tradition, Briefly Paused
“Savior of the World” has been a fixture of Temple Square's holiday season for a quarter century. Multiple casts have staged the musical in the Conference Center Little Theater from late November through December every year since the Conference Center opened in 2000, the station's report notes. Church officials have indicated the full production is expected to return to the Conference Center in 2027, according to Church News.
The musical itself portrays the life, mission and divine nature of Jesus Christ, and the Church's own production resource notes that the show can be mounted either as a full two-act production or as a single-act musical — flexibility that appears to be exactly what's making this year's scaled-back concert format possible.
The Show Goes On Elsewhere
While Salt Lake City gets the trimmed-down version this year, full productions are still happening elsewhere in the Church's global footprint. Church News reports that the Pacific Area of the Church plans to present the full “Savior of the World” in Auckland, New Zealand, Dec. 16-19, alongside a separate broadcast of its own.
Closer to the mainland, BYU–Hawaii Theatre is staging its own performances at the Polynesian Cultural Center Pacific Theater in Laie, with shows scheduled for Nov. 28-29 and Dec. 2, according to BYU–Hawaii Theatre. The Church's official resource page for the musical also notes that local Church leaders worldwide can produce the drama for their own congregations or communities, drawing on free online materials that include full scripts, musical scores for 38 numbers, and suggestions for casting, costuming, props and set design, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Local groups can perform the entire drama or individual acts for Easter or Christmas events, per the same resource.
