THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR Will Kick Off the Holidays at Kelsey Theatre

Put away the turkey, unpack the jingle bells and get into the holiday spirit with The MTM Players for a warm, fun, family-friendly musical revue "The Best Time of the Year - Music & Memories of Christmas" for one weekend and five performances, Nov. 29-Dec. 1, at the Kelsey Theatre on Mercer County Community College's West Windsor Campus.

Celebrate all the joys of the holiday season in song, dance, beautiful visual projections, snow-and even kazoos-featuring some of the most beloved carols and Christmas songs of all time. This kid and family-friendly show is only an hour, but the fun continues in the lobby with treats and pictures with Santa.

Dates and showtimes for the five live performances of "The Best Time of the Year" are Friday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Santa will be available in the lobby for photos after each performance.

In addition, Kelsey Theatre is proud to be returning as a partner with the U.S. Marine Corps for the annual "Toys for Tots" campaign during performances at Kelsey during the holiday season. Patrons can add joy to a child's holiday by donating a new, unwrapped toy in the Kelsey Theatre lobby.

The 1 p.m. Nov. 30 performance will be presented in American Sign Language (ASL) for the hearing impaired by cast member and ASL coach Reba Dell'Angelo, with the cast performing one of the numbers in ASL for each performance. Special seating is available.

The enthusiastic cast includes Trinity Austin of Hamilton Township, Tom Bessellieu of Lawrenceville, Joseph Cutalo of Titusville, Reba Dell'Angelo (ASL coach) of Roebling, the father-daughter team of Carlos Gonzalez-Najera and Juliana Gonzalez-Najera of Burlington, Carey Hamilton of Medford, Barry Leonard of Monroe Township, Emma Noyelle of Lambertville, Philip Rieschick and Alexa Shifton of Hamilton Township, Norah Wasden of Pennington, and Eliana Winters of East Windsor, with a special appearance by Leonard Calabrese, III of Hamilton as "The Jolly Old Elf" himself.

The show is produced, directed and musically directed by Rob Michael Lasky. Other members of the Production Team are Stage Manager Christine Heffron, Lighting Designer M. Kitty Getlik, Sound Engineer Eric Collins, Costume Designer Rittzy Productions, and Assistant Stage Manager Aaron Jelinek, with select choreography by Emily O'Sullivan.

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