‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas” kicks off the holiday season at Kelsey Theater on Friday, December 5. The musical adaptation of Clement Moore’s poem features the long-awaited midnight visit by Santa Claus. Performance dates and times are Friday, December 5, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 6 at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m.; and Sunday, December 7, at 2 and 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, students, and children.
Originally written as a Christmas present for Moore’s children, the musical features Kris Kringle, his eight tiny reindeer, some sugar plums, and a cute mouse. The Moore family and their neighbors become the backdrop for a magical winter wonderland set in 1822 New York for audiences of all ages.
Isabel, Tobias, and Zachary Urban of West Windsor are in the cast. Zachary, 10; Tobias, 9; and Isabel, 6, are all students at Saint Paul’s School in Princeton.
Their father, Mark, a professional fundraiser and nonprofit consultant, works for CCS Fundraising. Their mother, Emily, works at Berkley Life Sciences. “Although we are not involved in the theater, we have always loved going to a show,” says Emily. The family moved from Rhode Island to West Windsor seven years ago.
The children have always been interested in theater. “Ever since they were little, they have watched musicals,” says Emily. “When the children were younger, they would perform scenes from musicals and participated in plays at summer camp.” The boys took an acting class at McCarter several years ago.
“It all started last year at McCarter Theater’s ‘A Christmas Carol,’” says Emily. “After seeing the performance, Tobias said he wanted to try out for Tiny Tim. When auditions rolled around this year, both boys tried out. Tobias got a call back but did not get the part.”
That audition gave them the bug to try out for something else. The family had seen “’Twas the Night before Christmas” in the past, so they searched and found out they were still taking appointments for auditions. “We reached out and got appointments for the boys,” says Emily. “Isabel surprised us all when she wanted to try out, as she is a bit on the shy side.”
Kelsey Theater, an official drop-off site for the Marines’ Toys for Tots annual holiday drive, will accept donations of new, unwrapped toys in the drop box in the lobby. Donations will be accepted through Monday, December 15.
