THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS: A Holiday Tradition Returns to the Simpsonville Arts Center
Neel Patrick Edwards returns to the Simpsonville Arts Center with 'Christmas with Neel Patrick & Friends' on Friday, December 19th, 2025.
There are Christmas shows that dazzle with spectacle and scale—and then there are Christmas shows that invite you in, hand you a warm mug of nostalgia, and make you feel more like you’re stepping into someone’s living room than into a theatre.
Christmas with Neel Patrick & Friends, returning Friday, December 19th to the Simpsonville Arts Center, is unmistakably the latter.
Led by Upstate theatre performer Neel Patrick Edwards—known to many as simply “Neel Patrick”—the concert, presented by Hartworks Theatrics, has carved out its own special corner in the crowded December arts calendar. Now in its third consecutive year in Simpsonville and its fifth chapter overall, the show has quietly blossomed into a beloved holiday tradition for audience members who return year after year.
Rather than a traditional revue or scripted holiday musical, the cabaret-like show is designed to feel like a vintage “fireside” television special– something from the golden age of holiday music, when crooners stood behind microphones (or in Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby’s case, behind the punch bowl) and let the story live in the voice. This year’s program, titled The Spirit of Christmas, continues the tradition of embracing the understated seasonal charm.
A trio of musicians—helmed by longtime collaborator Lance Bastian on piano, joined by Wil Johnson on bass and Lucas Wiley on percussion—fills the space with a soft, gently swinging glow that gives the whole evening the sound of a vinyl-era Christmas. It’s the kind of concert where you can almost hear the quiet crackle of a needle settling onto a record. And that’s intentional.
“Each year, the goal is to create something uniquely personal, cozy, and festive—like a Christmas party at home,” says Edwards. “I’ve always loved those old holiday specials where the music was simple, honest, and full of heart. That’s the atmosphere we try to create here: something warm, easy, and familiar, where the sounds of the season speak for themselves. When you hear these songs, I want you to feel the simple magic of Christmas.”
This year’s two-act program features bits and pieces of over 30 songs, blending crooner classics, sentimental ballads, contemporary selections, cheerful uptempo favorites, and the kind of musical storytelling that has become a hallmark of the annual tradition. While holiday staples certainly appear, The Spirit of Christmas offers a mostly new set list, including two arrangements created especially for this performance.
A beloved signature of Christmas with Neel Patrick & Friends is right there in the title: the friends. Each year, Edwards welcomes a rotating group of fellow performers who bring their own distinct personalities, humor, and vocal styles to the stage. This year’s returning lineup of guest soloists includes Celia Blitzer, Jonathan Kilpatrick, and Rod McClendon, with Mollie Wheeler reprising a fan-favorite comedic moment of seasonal mischief from the show’s earliest days.
And even with the trio’s warmth and the nostalgic arrangements, what truly defines the night is the sense of sharing it together. In that way, The Spirit of Christmas remains exactly what the title suggests: a gathering of voices, stories, melodies, and memories—held for one night, in one room, during one fleeting season—never to be repeated in quite the same way again.
The Spirit of Christmas: Christmas with Neel Patrick & Friends performs Friday, December 19th at 7:30 PM at the Simpsonville Arts Center Theatre for one night only. Tickets are available now for $25 at https://hartworks.org. With its cozy atmosphere, classic sound, and community of returning performers and audiences alike, this year’s concert promises an evening of holiday music and memories to carry with you into the upcoming Christmas week.
