Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 12/17/2021
Pushcart Players, New Jersey’s Emmy nominated and award-winning touring theater for young audiences has added a week of virtual performances of “Holiday Tales - A Season of Miracles” in on-line presentations through December 31st. This magical musical warms the hearts of family audiences with the true spirit of the year-end holidays of Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa, and families can view the production from the comfort of their homes.
“Holiday Tales – A Season of Miracles” will be playing virtually from December 26th through 31st (Sunday through Friday) at 1:00pm. Reservations for a Family Pass are $25, and are available for purchase online or by calling Pushcart at 973-857-1115. Patrons will receive a protected link and password to access the show at performance time.
“The added performances will offer an opportunity for young learners on their winter break to enjoy the production,” said Paul Whelihan, producing artistic director. “A favorite in our repertoire, ‘Miracles’ is traditionally booked solid this time of year with live performances in schools and theaters throughout the region. That not being an option this season, we’re grateful to be able to still bring something magical to our families in this new platform.”
“…A Season of Miracles” visits O. Henry’s ‘The Gift of the Magi’; an original scene set in Africa entitled ‘The Kwanzaa Kite’; a story based on the wise men of Chelm folklore called ‘The Chanukah Miracle’; and E.T.A. Hoffmann’s ‘The Nutcracker.’ Every tale reflects the spirit of the holidays and the people that celebrate them. Music and orchestrations are by Tony Award-winning composer, Larry Hochman, book and lyrics are by Pushcart co-founder, Ruth Fost, and direction is by Whelihan.
Ruth Fost is a playwright, designer, actor, and arts advocate, with a particular focus on arts in education. Fost has appeared in more than fifty leading roles in major productions ranging from Simon (Neil) to Shakespeare to Shaw. She has written 30 musical plays for children, has performed throughout the country and abroad and recently published a children’s book to accompany Pushcart’s production of “Alice in Wonderland.”
Larry Hochman has a career as composer and orchestrator for over 40 years that encompasses theatre, film, recordings, concerts, television, and video games. Most well known for his work in theater, Larry has orchestrated over a hundred musicals. He has 18 Broadway shows to his credit and has won the Tony Award (“The Book of Mormon”), two Drama Desk Awards, and The Outer Critics Circle Award (“Hello, Dolly!”). He has received 9 Tony Award nominations, and 9 Emmy nominations.
Paul Whelihan directs, stage-manages and performs off-Broadway (47th Street Theater, 59 East 59 Theatres, NY Fringe Festival, 54 Below) and regionally (Royal Poincianna Playhouse, Broward Center for the Arts, Centenary Stage, The Bickford Theatre, The Growing Stage, Luna Stage, Forum Cultural Arts Center, Quillo Arts Center, Premier Stages, Dreamcatcher Rep) in musicals, dramas, and original works. He has appeared in locally produced television, film, and web series projects.
“Holiday Tales - A Season of Miracles” features Oscar Castillo, Stacie Gogo, Dana Patrice, and Danny Sims, all playing myriad characters to illuminate the stories.
Castillo, a native New Yorker, is a graduate of Kean University with a BA in theater. He is a founding member of The Theatre Project. For the past 18 years Oscar has been a member of Pushcart Players performing for young audiences throughout the US. Oscar also performs throughout New York City with Peculiar Works Productions.
Stacie Gogo is a graduate of Wilkes University with a B.A. in Musical Theatre and a Minor in Dance. Gogo appeared off-Broadway as a Kit Kat Girl in “Cabaret” at the Players Theatre, as Penny Pingleton in “Hairspray” at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, in the ensemble of “Grease!” at Surflight Theatre, and in international tours.
Dana Patrice performed in Lighthouse Opera of NJ’s production of “Ragtime” at South Orange PAC. She was featured in CDC Theater’s stage in “Vagina Monologues” and “Once Upon a Mattress.” She appeared in “Expiration Date” at The Tank in NYC for the Wet Paint play festival, OLT’s “Side Show, The Musical,” and “Aida.”
Danny Sims is a New Jersey-based actor and creative artist. He got his start performing in central NJ local theaters such as The Forum, Cranford Dramatic Club, and countless Plays in the Park (Edison) productions. He studied Musical Theatre at Montclair State University and has sung with The Encore Orchestra of NJ, as well as recently directing “The Shape of Things” with Third Revelation Theatre Co.
Pushcart Players is the award-winning professional touring theater company specializing in arts education for children. Twice nominated for an Emmy©, Pushcart is the recipient of numerous state and private awards for excellence and innovation. A social-profit organization founded in 1974, Pushcart brings substantive musical theater, workshops, and residencies to young people and their families in schools and theaters nationwide. The company has traveled more than 6.5 million miles nationally and abroad, from the rural red schoolhouse to the nation’s White House.
Pushcart Players addresses social studies, literature, history, the Autism spectrum, special educational needs, social emotional learning, equity, diversity & inclusion, and values clarification for young people, their families, and their educators. All performances by professional artists (Actors’ Equity Association) are supported by study guides, post-performance assessments and other supplemental materials, and adapt to any location with innovative scenery, lighting and sound systems.
As a social-profit organization, Pushcart Players’ programs are made possible in part by NJ State Council on the Arts/Department of State, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Pine Tree Foundation of New York, NJ State Bar Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, ADP Foundation, The Community Foundation of NJ, EJ Grassmann Trust, Essex County Small Business Lease Grant, Hyde & Watson Foundation, The Montclair Foundation, New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund, New Jersey CARES Act Fund, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Park West Foundation, PNC Bank/Lillian Schenck Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, The Sosland Foundation, The Turrell Fund, The Whitehill Foundation, and numerous individual contributors.
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten by and starring
Vicki Lawrence Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Princeton’s Famous Triangle Show: Roswell That Ends Well
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJIf you’re feeling all alone in the universe – or even if you’re not – Triangle’s newest musical comedy is for you! Join us as Triangle explores what it means to have friends in high – or should we say “sky”? – places. Extraterrestrial visitors, crazy conspiracy theories, and intergalactic shenanigans power this year’s annual laugh-fest of witty jokes, lavish production numbers, and, of course, Triangle’s famous kickline. Can interplanetary goodwill blossom in the dystopian desert of our current times? Get your Triangle tickets now and learn if
Roswell That Ends Well!
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
Murder At The Palace
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:00pm
The Historic Palace Theatre
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJSave the date for an adults-only night out set in the Roaring ’20s, as the Historic Palace Theatre plays host to a Murder Mystery event that’s truly to die for!
EVENT PREVIEWS
The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace
(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace - a roaring 20's murder mystery - on Saturday, November 14, 2026 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. All proceeds benefit the artistic and educational programming of The Growing Stage.
SPQR Stage Co. presents "Pumpin' the Chihuahua"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- SPQR Stage Co. presents Bill Sterritt's "Pumpin' the Chihuahua," an imaginative dark comedy running two weekends from November 14–22, 2026 at studio;space in Somers Point.
Moorestown Theater Company presents "9 to 5, the Musical"
(MOORESTOWN, NJ) -- Moorestown Theater Company presents 9 to 5, the Musical from November 18-22 at First Methodist Church. Three unlikely friends take control of their office and learn there is nothing they can't do, even in a man's world.
Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department presents "The Laramie Project"
(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present a student theatre production of The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, November 18-20, 2026 at 7:00pm each night. The performances, which are free of charge and open to the public, will be held in the Welpe Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus.
Offbook Productions present "The Women of Congress 1776"
(MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ) -- Offbook Productions presents The Women of Congress 1776 on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at the Trailside Nature & Science Center in Mountainside. Showtime is 6:30pm.
Cape May Stage presents "Murder For Two - The Holiday Edition"
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents Murder For Two - The Holiday Edition from November 18 through December 27, 2026. Directed by Roy Steinberg, it's a merry and musical whodunit!
Paper Mill Playhouse to open season with "Mary Poppins"
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins to open the company's 88th season. Performances begin Wednesday, November 18 ahead of a Sunday, November 22 opening night for a run that continues through Sunday, January 3, 2027. This is a spectacular musical filled with wonder, wit, and unforgettable songs.
Somerset County Vocational Technical High School Theater Arts Department presents "Come From Away"
(BRIDGEWATER, NJ) -- In a story about strangers becoming family and tragedy giving way to unexpected hope, one real-life couple's love story has given students at Somerset County Vocational Technical High School a personal connection to the musical they are bringing to the stage.
Centenary Stage Company to Close Out 2026 Fringe Festival with "Unseen"
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company will conclude its 2026 Fringe Festival with Unseen, written and performed by Kimberly Prentice, November 19–22, 2026, in the Kutz Theatre. Blending physical comedy, rapid-fire character changes, and heartfelt storytelling, Unseen takes audiences backstage into the demanding, unpredictable world of Broadway's wardrobe crew, celebrating the people whose essential work often goes unnoticed.
The Road Company presents "Solid Gold: A Show-Stopping Cabaret"
(WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ) -- The Road Company presents Solid Gold: A Show-Stopping Cabaret, an original retrospective revue, from November 19 to December 5, 2026 at the Grand Theatre.
