The annual holiday variety show Christmas Without Tears will return to the Orpheum Theater on Tuesday, December 16, marking its 20th year. The event, created by vocalist Judith Owen and actor-comedian Harry Shearer, will begin at 8 p.m., with all proceeds benefiting Innocence & Justice Louisiana (formerly Innocence Project New Orleans).
This year’s lineup includes vocalist Irma Thomas and pianist Jon Cleary, with additional performers to be announced. A repeat livestream will be available throughout the holidays via Veeps.
Coinciding with the festivities, Owen will release Judith Owen Swings Christmas on limited-edition ice-white numbered vinyl in early November through Twanky Records. Recorded at Esplanade Studios with the J.O. Big Band and The Gentlemen Callers, the album features new and classic big-band arrangements and was produced by Owen, John Fischbach and Jamison Ross.
Christmas Without Tears began as a gathering in Owen and Shearer’s Santa Monica home and grew into an annual benefit event. Since its first public performance in 2005 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the show has raised funds for various charities, with this year’s New Orleans edition once again supporting Innocence & Justice Louisiana.
The variety format traditionally includes musicians, comedians, magicians and surprise guests performing holiday standards and offbeat selections. Past performers have ranged from Big Freedia and Dee Dee Bridgewater to Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Owen’s most recent album, Judith Owen Comes Alive, was released earlier this year following her 2022 record Come On & Get It, which garnered more than four million streams. Shearer, known for The Simpsons, This Is Spinal Tap and his long-running radio program Le Show, continues his work in film, writing, music and academia.
Innocence & Justice Louisiana, based in New Orleans, focuses on freeing wrongfully convicted people serving life sentences and addressing the systemic causes of unjust convictions. Click here to buy tickets.
