Two Broadway stars made history this week when they performed with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square during its annual Christmas concert.
While plenty of Broadway mainstays have appeared with the famed singing troupe at Yuletide — Kristin Chenoweth of “Wicked” fame, Lea Salonga from “Miss Saigon” and Ruthie Ann Miles from a revival of “The King and I,” to name a few — Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus became the first married couple to grace the holiday season stage with the choir.
At a Friday news conference, Gary B. Porter, a counselor in the choir presidency, likened the Broadway pair to Mary and Joseph, saying they brought a familial touch to their performance.
“You can feel that magic between the two of them as they perform,” Porter said. “And as you have Mary and Joseph in the background, and seeing the love that reflects between the two of them … is just wonderful.”
Block, who most recently appeared at London’s Barbican Theatre as Kate in “Kiss Me, Kate,” explained how welcome she felt on stage in downtown Salt Lake City’s 21,000-seat Conference Center.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square holds its annual Christmas Concert with special guests Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
“My anxiety started to put myself in a whole bunch of different scenarios, and I’m happy to say that when we did walk in and all of these seats were filled, it didn’t do what my anxiety was imagining. It was quite the opposite,” Block said. “I can only use the word as a hug, because this is what it is. There’s an embrace. There are arms that are open. And I felt that, so I’m very grateful.”
Block won a 2019 Tony for her star turn in “The Cher Show.” She recently appeared as the baker’s wife in a Broadway revival and national tour of “Into the Woods.”
Arcelus — best known for his roles as Lucas Goodwin in the Netflix series “House of Cards” and Jay Whitman in the political drama “Madam Secretary” — met his wife on the first national tour of “Wicked,” in which they starred as Elphaba and Fiyero.
Arcelus recounted their Thursday performance with the choir as “transcendent,” saying how special it was to share their chemistry and love through song.
“You know, we had heard tell of how intimate this space actually is, and it proved accurate. Then, of course, there’s the additional intimacy of stepping on stage and the first person that you lock eyes with is your own wife,” Arcelus said. “So it changes the chemistry of the entire evening to be working together, to be living in a moment together in the service of something larger together.”
And that chemistry, Block said, connects with the audience.
“Sharing the stage with someone that you love, that you have an understanding with, that you can’t really explain that sort of life understanding,” she explained, “people recognize that … and it automatically creates a warmth. … So having your spouse or the person that you walk through the world with, that sort of being at home in your own skin and feeling comfortable amidst tens of thousands of people, I think translates, just due to the authenticity and the comfortability of it all.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square holds its annual Christmas Concert with special guests Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
While the couple acknowledged this performance was different from their norm, they shared their fondness for the choir — the premier performing troupe of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to perform such a message of unity and peace.
“I feel like we’re being threaded into a tapestry,” Arcelus said. “Like we’re part of a tradition, and you just want to be open and vulnerable and serve the purpose.”
The final two concerts will occur Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec 13. Block and Arcelus will also join the choir on Sunday for its weekly performance of “Music and the Spoken Word.” Tickets will not be required for Sunday’s 30-minute performance.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square holds its annual Christmas Concert with special guests Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025,
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square holds its annual Christmas Concert with special guests Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.