The Christmas Box (from Nuncrackers): Piano/Vocal/Chords

This collection gives you the complete songbook from a show that has proven its staying power and teaching value for 25 years. The piano/vocal/chord format serves directors who need quick reference for rehearsal while maintaining the theatrical character of each piece. Goggin's humor translates beautifully on the page, and these arrangements work equally well for concert performance or full staging.

Buoyant, playful, and surprisingly sincere. The music swings from pastiche (country, rock, Yiddish-inflected numbers) to genuinely touching moments, all held together by Goggin's accessible melodic sensibility. There's joy in the absurdity here, and the piano writing supports both the comedic setup and the emotional payoff.

Music directors, accompanists, and vocal teachers working with community theater groups, schools, and church productions. Anyone preparing or performing from Nunsense will find this 25th anniversary collection an essential rehearsal and performance resource.

• Balance the comedic timing with the music; these songs reward clarity in both the lyric delivery and the harmonic structure underneath.
• Use the chord symbols to improvise or embellish accompaniment if you're reading from this score at the keyboard during rehearsal.
• Honor the stylistic variety across the songbook. Each number has its own musical personality, from country parody to sentimental ballad.
• Work the piano part as a character unto itself in performance; Goggin's arrangements often carry the comedic and emotional weight alongside the vocal line.

Program selections from this collection as standalone musical theater selections in a cabaret or concert setting, or use it as your complete resource for mounting a full or concert production of Nunsense. The variety makes individual songs perfect for audition preparation or musical theater classes exploring comedy and character work.

• Reading piano/vocal scores with chord symbols
• Balancing comedic phrasing with musical legibility
• Interpreting stylistic variety within a single show (country, parody, ballad, novelty genres)
• Accompanying singers while maintaining theatrical momentum
• Understanding how harmonic and melodic choices serve comedic storytelling