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Inside Avenel PAC's Holiday Lineup

Published by New Jersey Stage

originally published: 11/23/2019


(WOODBRIDGE, NJ) -- Avenel Performing Arts Center (APAC), a new multi-disciplinary performing arts center located in Woodbridge, New Jersey presents its holiday season line-up.  Shows include My Big Gay Italian Funeral, Robin Spielberg's Holiday Sing-Along, Celtic Angels Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre, and Santa's Circus.

November 26-December 1: My Big Gay Italian Funeral My Big Gay Italian Funeral picks up where My Big Gay Italian Wedding leaves off, at the funeral of Anthony’s father Joe. Anthony is reunited with his gay brother Peter Pinnunziato, who he hasn’t spoken to in over a decade. Family drama and crazy characters unite when everything that can possibly happen at an Italian wake certainly will! My Big Gay Italian Funeral is a sequel to Anthony J. Wilkinson’s ‘My Big Gay Italian Wedding,’ and including some of the same characters. Tickets: $49.50.

December 3-4: Robin Spielberg’s Holiday Sing-AlongRobin Spielberg will perform in a concert that incorporates the joy of the season with sing-alongs, meaningful reflection, fun stories and concert films. Perfect for the entire family, audiences will leave feeling uplifted and in the spirit of the season! Incorporating “follow the bouncing ball” sing-alongs and a guest choir, Robin’s shows brings nostalgia, warmth and fun to the Avenel. Tickets: $29.50.

December 6-7: BariTonedDamsels in Distress is a comedic musical theatre revue that gives a tip of the heel to Broadway’s Leading Ladies. When three leading men realize their leading ladies are gone, they take on the quest to woo the fair maidens back by giving them everything they require: a spotlight, a feud, a love interest, and more- only to find out that perhaps they weren’t as missing as the guys thought. Tickets: $39.50. 

December 10-11: Celtic Angels ChristmasCeltic Angels Christmas captivates audiences of all ages with the magic of Christmas in an awe-inspiring show which encompasses vocal and instrumental seasonal and Irish favorites along with spectacular world class champion Irish dancing. Combined with the stunning dance routines of the Celtic Knight Dancers; this family show is a true holiday celebration of Christmas in Ireland. Tickets: $49.50.  




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December 12-15: It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre It’s Christmas Eve in 1945, and only a handful of WVL Radio’s actors have braved the blizzard to perform that evening’s broadcast of It’s a Wonderful Life and keep the station afloat. This fresh new adaptation of the film is set in the fictional studio of WVL Radio Theatre, which is struggling to stay on the air one snowy winter’s night. The professional voice actors are unable to get to the studio, but the show must go on—and so a small but intrepid band of employees manages to create the story’s dozens of characters and scenes using just their voices and some everyday household items for sound effects. Tickets: $39.50.  

December 18-23: Santa’s CircusThe magic of Christmas will come alive at Santa’s Circus, an interactive family-friendly show with breathtaking stunts, illusion, comedy, and everything that you love about Christmas. Santa’s Circus tells the story of an orphaned girl who has stopped believing in Christmas. When she takes an extraordinary adventure to the North Pole she learns that the spirit of Christmas never disappears for those who believe. Celebrate the wonder and joy of a traditional Christmas with lasting memories of fun and laughter. Tickets: Adults- $59.50, Children- $39.50.



The Avenel Performing Art Center is located at 150 Avenel Street in Avenel, New Jersey (located within Woodbridge Township). To purchase tickets, visit www.avenelarts.com or contact the Box Office Tuesday-Saturday from 12:00pm-5:00pm at (732)314-0500.

Funded by the Woodbridge Arts Alliance (WAA), the organization’s goal is to inform and help build capacities needed to organize and distinguish Woodbridge as an arts destination to help advance the economic position of artists, creative entrepreneurs and associated entities. Woodbridge Arts Alliance will build and expand on these existing arts activities to further activate the Township of Woodbridge as a regional hub for the arts.

Avenel Performing Arts Center’s line-up continues with:

November 23-24: Freda Payne

November 26-December 1: My Big Gay Italian Funeral




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December 3-4: Robin Spielberg’s Holiday Sing-Along

December 6-7: BariToned

December 10-11: Celtic Angels Ireland

December 12-15: It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre

December 18-23: Santa’s Circus

January 10-11: One Man Star Wars Trilogy

January 22-26: Big Band Broadway

February 15-16: Erich Bergen Live in Concert

February 25-March 1: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus- Live

March 20-22: The New York Tenors




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April 3-5: Rearview Mirror: Dancing through the 80s

April 17-26: My Big Gay Midlife Crisis

May 27-June 7: My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy

 

Additional titles will be announced at a later date.


EVENT PREVIEWS

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon's London Suite with three performances from July 11-12, 2026. Witty, charming, and unmistakably Neil Simon, London Suite invites audiences into a series of hilarious and heartfelt encounters set in the same London hotel room.

The Light Opera of New Jersey presents "H.M.S. Pinafore" at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center

(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- The Light Opera of New Jersey presents H.M.S. Pinafore from July 11-12, 2026 at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center. This is a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan that satirize the British class system. 
Misfits Theatre Co. presents "She Loves Me"

Misfits Theatre Co. presents "She Loves Me"

(MATAWAN, NJ) -- Misfits Theatre Co., a community theater organization dedicated to producing bold, entertaining, and accessible theater for audiences of all ages, presents its inaugural book musical production, She Loves Me at Matawan Regional High School from July 10-12, 2026.
Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center presents "Sense and Sensibility" outside duCret Center of Art

Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center presents "Sense and Sensibility" outside duCret Center of Art

(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center invites audiences to experience Jane Austen's beloved classic Sense and Sensibility in a charming outdoor production this summer at duCret Center of Art in Plainfield. Performances take place July 10-12, 2026.

Howell PAL Theater Company presents "Grease"

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Howell PAL Theater Company presents the classic musical Grease weekends from July 10-12, 2026 at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. Grease is a love song to the 1950s and a cornerstone of the American musical comedy form.
Pioneer Productions presents encore run of "What the Constitution Means to Me" in Chatham Borough

Pioneer Productions presents encore run of "What the Constitution Means to Me" in Chatham Borough

(CHATHAM, NJ) -- Pioneer Productions is thrilled to announce encore performances of their production of Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me." Following a sold-out run of the show in downtown Morristown earlier this year, the original cast and production team have partnered with Chatham Borough to present an encore weekend July 11-12, 2026 at the Stanely Center.

Masquerade Theatre presents a staged reading of "Executive Decisions" by Dan Jankauskas

(RIVERSIDE, NJ) -- Masquerade Theatre presents a staged reading of Executive Decisions by Dan Jankauskas from July 10-12, 2026. It tells the story of two coworkers, Fives and Tenner, who are suddenly faced with the prospect that their routine deskwork has lethal consequences.

Phoenix Productions presents "Rock of Ages"

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Phoenix Productions presents Rock of Ages from July 10-12, 2026 at Count Basie Center for the Arts. Rock of Ages takes you back to the time of big bands with big egos playing big guitar solos and sporting even bigger hair!

Skyline Theatre Company presents Shakespeare on the Porch with "Much Ado About Nothing"

(BLOOMFIELD, NJ) -- Skyline Theatre Company presents Much Ado About Nothing with performances July 17-18, 2026 as part of its Shakespeare on the Porch series. The Bard's ultimate rom-com comes to life on the porch of the Oakeside Mansion.

The Montclair Foundation and Studio Players will present Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at Van Vleck House and Gardens

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The Montclair Foundation and Studio Players will present Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing outside at Van Vleck House and Gardens across two weekends from July 10-18, 2026. This is no ordinary stage production, it’s an immersive theatrical experience.

 

FEATURED EVENTS


Vivid Summer Solos: "Fair Stage" by Megan Gogerty

Wednesday, July 08, 2026 @ 6:30pm
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
Summit, NJ


NYC Music Marathon
& Jack Dallas presents
Miranda


Friday, July 10, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Demarest Methodist Church
Demarest, NJ


My Fair Lady

Friday, July 10, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Grunin Center - Main Stage
Toms River, NJ


The Little Mermaid

Friday, July 10, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
Middletown, NJ


Shrek: The Musical

Saturday, July 11, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
Manasquan, NJ