THE MUSICAL DUO OF ZOOEY DESCHANEL AND M. WARD BRINGS A PENCHANT FOR CLASSIC HOLIDAY TUNES TO KINGS THEATRE

BY TIA KIM

Zooey Deschanel and singer song writer M. Ward originally met on the set of the 2007 road film, The Go Getter (Ward wrote the music for the movie), and during production, the two discovered common interests in albums produced by Phil Spector and George Martin, along with other classic rock and country hits. He’d seen Deschanel in the 2003 comedy, Elf, performing an in the shower version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and expressed puzzlement as to why she’d never pursued a musical career. During The Go Getter’s end credits, the two sang Richard and Linda Thompson’s “When I Get to the Border,” and within a year had not only formed the duo She & Him, but released a full length album, Volume One. The follow up, Volume Two, came in 2010, Volume 3 in 2013.

Nearly all original She & Him tracks were and are written by Deschanel in a breezily romantic, folk meets country trail twang that increased in complexity and capability with each disc but each album also featured covers, ranging from “Gonna Get Along Without You Now” (Milton Kellem) and “I Put a Spell on You” (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) to “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” (Harry Noble).

The duo also found a niche in holiday themed covers that came to encompass two full albums, A Very She & Him Christmas (2011) and Christmas Party (2016) the latter featuring tracks like “Must Be Santa” (derived from a German drinking song) and the Chipmunks’ “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. Sweet, charming, and with a wink of humor, both albums got into party and radio rotation and sold well their style adroitly summarized by Los Angeles Times writer Mikael Wood as “reclaiming glossy yuletide jams as hand played pop ditties.”

In September, She & Him announced a “A Very She & Him Christmas Party” tour, which will feature a range of adapted holiday tunes and off the cuff observations. It launches in Philadelphia on December 4, with a December 6 show at Kings Theatre, and another the next night at New Haven’s College Street Music Hall. The road show concludes at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, with Patton Oswalt opening.

A portion of the tour’s proceeds will be donated to Baby2Baby, a nonprofit with a mission of “providing children living in poverty, ages 0 12 years, with diapers, clothing, and all the other basic necessities that every child deserves.” Over the last 8 years, it has distributed more than 70 million items to children in need.

Kings Theatre tickets start at $87.50. Ambassador Club Premium Seats were also available at press time, which include expedited access through a private entrance, access to the Ambassador Club Lounge and its own facilities and refreshments (including pre show Happy Hour), a balcony box seat, and dedicated in seat food and beverage service. Visit the theatre site to purchase.

Kings Theatre
1027 Flatbush Avenue kingstheatre.com