Avenel Performing Arts Center: Holiday 2019 Show Line-up

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Here's the holiday 2019 season lineup at the Avenel Performing Arts Center (APAC), which just opened this past April in the Avenel section of Woodbridge.

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 https://avenelarts.com/shows/my-big-gay-italian-funeral/

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

Robin 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 https://avenelarts.com/shows/robin-spielberg-holidays-sing-along/

December 6-7: BariToned

Damsels 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 https://avenelarts.com/shows/baritoned/

December 10-11: Celtic Angels Christmas

Celtic 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 https://avenelarts.com/shows/celtic-angels-christmas/

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 https://avenelarts.com/shows/its-a-wonderful-life/

December 18-23: Santa’s Circus

The 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: $69.50 for adults and $49.50 for children. https://avenelarts.com/shows/santas-circus/

The Avenel Performing Arts Center is located at 150 Avenel Street, at the site of what used to be the former General Dynamics plant. General Dynamics abandoned the plant in the 1960s and the massive factory laid dormant until the early 2000s, when Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac designated the 27-acre lot as a redevelopment zone. The arts center is part of a plan to revitalize downtown Woodbridge and Avenel as a hub for the arts.

Woodbridge Township hopes the arts center will become a cultural destination for all of New Jersey, and a hub for professional theater, music, comedy and dance. The 13,500-square-foot building can seat up to 225 patrons and has multiple performance areas.

The Avenel Performing Arts Center is also the home of Curtains Bar and Restaurant.

To purchase tickets, visit www.avenelarts.com or contact the Box Office Tuesday-Saturday from 12pm-5pm at (732)314-0500.