A homecoming for the Red Mountain Theatre Holiday Spectacular

By Lee J. Green

Katie Holmes has come home to Birmingham just in time for the holidays.

And one of the budding young stars the Red Mountain Theatre Resident Music Director will work with in the Holiday Spectacular from Dec. 1 to 18 will be Jewish actress London Pigott.

The 13-year-old Pigott, who is the daughter of Dr. David and Daniella Pigott, will be performing in her fourth Holiday Spectacular.

“I really love this show and I’m happy it is so inclusive,” said London Pigott. “There are two new Chanukah-themed numbers in the show — ‘Puppy for Chanukah’ and ‘Light One Candle,’ which teaches about the sacrifices our people have made and the miracles Hashem has given us.”

Pigott, who has been tap dancing since she was two years old, will perform her first solo tap number in the show as well. She has also been learning sign language for the first ASL song to be included in the Holiday Spectacular.

“There are so many things to love in this show. We even have live animals — a camel, four sheep and a donkey,” she added.

Pigott is involved with RMT’s Conservatory year-round and this past summer she went to Camp Stage Door in the Catskills of New York, where a majority of her fellow campers were Jewish. They performed with Jason Robert Brown in his “Hollywood in Vegas” show at the end of the session. The Jewish singer, actor, writer and director did his own two-night show at RMT this past October.

Holmes came back to Birmingham on Oct. 1 after being on tour with the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys.” She jumped right back into the Holiday Spectacular.

“I can’t think of a better way to make my homecoming with such a joyous production that shows the best of RMT,” said Holmes, who grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Birmingham-Southern College. She started with RMT as a music director in 2011 before leaving in 2021 to go on the tour.

“This is my first time to do a show at the new campus and the new theatre really has allowed us to do bring so much more to the stage with the choreography, costumes and cast,” she said.

Holmes said putting together the Holiday Spectacular is quite an effort. She is working with Director Roy Lightner, Music Director Anthony Smith, Artistic Director Keith Cromwell, Choreographer Jamorris Rivers, nine musicians along with 100 adult and youth actors.

“It’s really awe-inspiring to see how everything comes together. It is so collaborative,” she said. “You know what they say, it truly takes a village.”

For tickets and more information, go to www.redmountaintheatre.org.