REVIEW: Christmas in July with Hallmark Stars Live
07/25 @ The Palace, Albany
Photo provided by Hallmark Media
“If your story’s not being told in a certain space, it’s your job to tell it…”
As soon as Hallmark Stars Live host Nikki DeLoach enthusiastically took the stage to greet a cheering crowd at the Palace Theatre, she immediately called Albany her ‘favorite’ city on the tour. Albany was one of the few specially selected locations on Hallmark Stars Live’s limited-run, rapid-fire touring schedule that has allowed the actors to meet and mingle with fans across the country.
These fans are the heart of Hallmark, evident in every seat filled at the Palace; devotees of all ages, genders, and backgrounds gathered under the baroque frescoes of the theatre. The atmosphere was convivial amongst the fans, and the onstage setup of a sofa, chairs, and a comfortable throw blanket created a cozy living-room environment.
Joined by her fellow Hallmark stars Andrew Walker, Ashley Williams, Jonathan Bennett, and Tamera Mowry-Housley, DeLoach moderated the flow of conversation between the audience and actors, from the crowd’s breezy call-and-responses to thought-provoking questions analyzing their careers.
The Q&A featured fan questions from across the Capital Region. “I’m a Southern girl!” DeLoach laughed as she hesitated over ‘Utica’s’ mouthful of a pronunciation. As she correctly tackled another tricky location, ‘Latham’, her co-stars teased, with a grin, “It’s a Christmas miracle!”
During the seated, conversational portions of the show, the actors shared life updates and pictures of their families. Before playing clips from their upcoming movies, Mowry-Housley and Williams chatted with undeniable passion about the backstories of the films and their own memories of starting with the channel.
Mowry-Housley noted that she has “learned a lot” from working with Hallmark and called it a “safe space.” Explaining how she was returning to acting after her days on Sister, Sister, she was able to shake off her nerves, especially through the Haunted Harmony Mysteries. Mowry-Housley gushed how the character of Gethsemane Brown allowed her to portray a woman who is witty and strong.
Meanwhile, throughout the show, Williams delighted the audience with a myriad of stories, from when she posed as an Andrew Walker superfan on the Hallmark Christmas Cruise just to prank him at a meet-and-greet to the behind-the-scenes of how filming a perfect Hallmark kiss can go hilariously wrong.
Christmas Cruise photo provided by Hallmark Media
Walker has a long history with the channel and praised the expedient filming schedule for allowing him to spend time with his family. Creating films about love, family, and the importance of community has made an impact on him off-screen too, as he observed that the films have taught him how to be ‘the most present father and husband’ that he can be.
Amid the humor, this thread of candor and poignancy ran throughout the show. Throughout the Q&A portion, a fan asked how Hallmark movies helped the actors to face their fears. DeLoach opened up about filming Five More Minutes shortly after the passing of her father. The film, which grapples with the question of what a person would do if they had five more minutes with their loved one, is a meditation on grief.
DeLoach expressed how she spent most of the shoot ‘sobbing in her hotel room’. Speaking about feeling her father’s presence with her, she explained how finding the process of making Five More Minutes became a healing experience, one that she could share with others to help them on their grief journeys.
Bennett shared his story of starring in the first LGBTQ-led Hallmark Christmas movie, The Holiday Sitter. Since his childhood in Ohio, he loved Christmas films but didn’t see love represented in a way that was true to his experience.
“If your story’s not being told in a certain space, it’s your job to tell it,” he said, reflecting that he is dedicated to making these films for his 16-year-old-self and everyone who can relate to his story.
The show closed with a completely improvisational game, where audience members invented prompts for the actors to perform to create their own movie. Following the traditional Hallmark film three-act structure, Williams energetically met the audience's challenge as a breakdancing meteorologist from Utica, who needed to close an important business deal for her boss, played by Walker.
She had her Hallmark-meet-cute with Bennett, who was cast as a boisterous exotic dancer before launching into a full song-and-dance number with Mowry-Housley. The spontaneity highlighted all of the actors’ comedic timing, understanding of their genre, and Williams’ own theatrical background as a student of Shakespeare’s works.
During the show, audience interactions were personalized and memorable for each attendee who participated. Anyone celebrating a birthday was given a hug by the actors as they walked up and down the aisles multiple times to interact with the crowd.
“I love how interactive this show is!” the stars exclaimed at one point.
The stars knew many fans by sight, devoted fans who had attended cruises or previous events. DeLoach praised the fans for their dedication, many of whom wore The Benny Bracelet in honor of her son Bennett, who was born with multiple congenital heart defects. The proceeds from the bracelets benefit the care provided to children by the doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
The energy remained high as the show concluded, with the actors continuing to stay onstage and interact with the fans. Afterward, when asked how she felt about the show, an attendee told me, “I felt like I was sitting in my living room with friends.”
Another attendee echoed her statement: “You can really feel the actors’ love of their fans and what makes the world of Hallmark so special.”
