(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Asbury Park Theater Company (APTCo) presents A Big Band Holiday To Remember, an Asbury Park Theater Company Fundraising Event on Saturday, December 14, 2024 featuring Asbury Park music community artists, Broadway performers, and starring guest band leader Remember Jones and his 17 piece big band! The event takes place at the Jersey Shore Arts Center, showtime is 7:30pm.
“With limited seating available, we strongly encourage folks to get their tickets right away for this event,” says William Whitefield, APTCo’s Producing Artistic Director. “I know that people are going to want to see Remember Jones, his big band and the other stars. We all know that he can really put on a show and this one is going to be a blast!”
Remember Jones is a captivating showman, soul/pop singer/songwriter, storyteller, and bandleader, calling Asbury Park home! His original music, high energy, show-band staging, and creative, theatrical events have played to packed and sold-out clubs and theaters throughout the United States. He has shared stages with Bruce Springsteen, Dionne Warwick, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Ronnie Spector & The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Buster Poindexter, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, and more, and has been featured in Rolling Stone, Paste, Variety, and Billboard magazines. He has been called one of the Most Influential Artists on the Jersey Shore and is the recipient of the 2020 Artistic Achievement Award from Monmouth Arts Council, alongside Steven Van Zandt, Debbie Harry, Kevin Smith and others!
Also appearing will be actor and rock singer Constantine Maroulis, who became a household name when his soaring vocal talents were featured on the reality television series American Idol. He received a Tony Award Nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Rock of Ages on Broadway. He also starred on Broadway in the title role in Jekyll & Hyde, for which he received a Drama League Award Nomination for a Distinguished Performance Award.
Broadway veteran and NJ native Brian O’Brien, who has appeared on Broadway in Chicago, Steel Pier, Pirate Queen, Annie Get Your Gun, Beauty & The Beast, Anything Goes and Promises, Promises, and in APTCo’s Greatest Hits last fall, will be featured in the evening’s line-up. Broadway performer Jeanne Montano, who has appeared in NYC in Cats and Forbidden Broadway, and in APTCo’s 2023 production of The Bikinis, will be also included on the bill.
On the show’s roster is singer Layonne Holmes who has shared the stage with many music industry luminaries including Darlene Love with whom she is currently touring, Phoebe Snow, Southside Johnny, Gary U.S. Bonds, Ben E. King, Leslie Gore, and others. In 2001, she was selected along with her mother to back Bruce Springsteen on the internationally- televised “9/11 Tribute to Heroes” telethon and appear on the album of the same name. Layonne currently performs with Motor City Revue, Matt O’Ree Band, Tim McLoone & The Shirleys, and many others.
Rounding out the evening will be talented cast members from past APTCo shows including Grace Allison (Million Dollar Quartet, American Idiot, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), Emily DeMaio (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), Jarrod Scott (The Mountaintop, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change).
The show will take place on Saturday, December 14 at 7:30pm at Jersey Shore Arts Center (66 S. Main Street) in Ocean Grove, NJ . Standard tickets are $50.00 per person and include reserved seating for the show only, with doors opening at 7:00pm and showtime at 7:30pm. VIP tickets are $125.00 per person and include reserved seating, pre-show reception from 6:00pm to 7:30pm and post-show meet and greet with the performers. Standard and VIP tickets are available for purchase online. Groups of 10 or more VIP Tickets can be arranged by calling the box office at (732) 455-2296.
APTCo will honor four amazing women this year who are champions of the arts in the Asbury Park and Monmouth County areas. Asbury Park Councilwoman Eileen Chapman, Asbury Park Music Teacher Tanya Peterson, Jersey Shore Arts Center Executive Director Jeanne Power-Galli and Asbury Park Director of Business Development Sylvia Sylvia-Cioffi will be celebrated at this event that is graciously sponsored by PNC Private Bank and HFA Certified Public Accountants + Advisors.
APTCo Board Member and Fundraiser Coordinator Christina Smith says, “As a long-standing resident of Asbury Park, I know full well how important the arts are in our community. Our honorees and sponsors have been invaluable to our theater company and all the arts groups in the area.”
APTCo is also thrilled to announce their support to Community Karma and St. Stephen Church, both of Asbury Park, by asking folks to bring a wrapped toy to support their annual Holiday Toy Drive. Additionally, APTCo is happy to support The Center of Asbury Park and will also be accepting packaged personal hygiene products to support the efforts. Collection boxes will be available on site at the event, and all are encouraged to participate in these drives.
