They met on stage.
She was Elphaba, he was Fiyero.
That national touring production of “Wicked,” nearly 20 years ago, launched a romance between Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus that is still going strong.
The power couple have shared the stage together several times over the years, including on Broadway. But now, as the musical that sparked their relationship is dominating box offices, the Broadway stars are celebrating a major career milestone together: performing with the Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square.
For the first time in the 25-year history of the choir’s beloved Christmas concert tradition, the featured guest artists are married to each other.
Block and Arcelus each had their own moments in the spotlight. Block performed a number of Christmas and Broadway classics, while Arcelus gave a stirring narration of the Apollo 8 mission that was defined, in part, by astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders reading the first 10 verses of the Bible (the creation story) to a global audience as they orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968.
But the couple also sometimes took the stage together, and they were visibly excited to share this moment as husband and wife. They expressed their gratitude several times throughout the night and even led the crowd of nearly 19,000 in a singalong — just the second audience singalong in the concert’s history (the first being with Sutton Foster in 2017).
“This was at the top of my Christmas wishlist,” Arcelus said to his wife at one point after sharing a long hug, going on to call the Tabernacle Choir “one of the most famous choirs in all the world.”
In another twist from years past, the Christmas concert featured an additional pair of guest artists — violinist Leandro Curaba and bandoneon player Julian Mansilla, who both performed with the choir earlier this year in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It all created a unique dynamic and made for a memorable opening night in Salt Lake City.
This story will be updated.