Vital Theatre Company Announces ANGELINA BALLERINA: THE VERY MERRY HOLIDAY MUSICAL, 11/18-1/13

Vital Theatre Company and HIT Entertainment have announced the return of the yuletide hit, Angelina Ballerina™ The Very Merry Holiday Musical, to the McGinn/Cazale Theatre at 2162 Broadway from November 17 – January 13. The show, with book and lyrics by Susan DiLallo, music by Ben Morss, and direction and choreography by Sam Viverito, is based on the famous dancing mouseling and her friends created by Katharine Holabird and illustrated by Helen Craig. Angelina And her friends will return to the Vital stage with a special "pink carpet" press opening on November 17th. Performances continue November 18 - January 13 on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 am and 1 pm, with special school holiday performances on November 23, December 5, December 24 -! 27, December 31, and January 1 at 11 am and 1 pm. Tickets are $29.50. Premium seats are available for $49.50. For reservations, visit www.vitaltheatre.org, call us at (212) 579-0528, or visit the McGinn/Cazale box office. Vital Theatre Company is located at 2162 Broadway on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Hailed as "a great holiday treat for your family to enjoy" in its premiere run last season (NYC Single Mom), Vital Theatre Company and HIT Entertainment welcome back the festive hit Angelina Ballerina™ The Very Merry Holiday Musical! Angelina And her friends are planning an absolutely positively spectacular holiday dance pageant; the best in all of Mouseland! When a mix-up prevents the pageant from going on, Angelina And her friends must use their creativity to save the show. By working together, Angelina, Alice, Gracie, AZ, Marco, and Angelina's little sister, Polly, discover the true spirit of the holidays. It's not about things you receive, but the holiday cheer you share. With dancing, singing and festivities, this heart-warming musical is perfect for everyone's holiday season! For additional info! rmation about Angelina Ballerina™ The Musical and Angelina Ballerina™ The Very Merry Holiday Musical, visit www.angelinathemusical.com.

The Angelina Ballerina Very Merry Holiday Musical cast includes Samantha Bryce, Daniel Caraballo, Tara Carbone, Maggie Gomez-Madonia, Todd Ritch, Roberto Araujo, Ayelet Firstenberg, and Chelsea Pinero. The crew includes Director and Choreographer Sam Viverito, Set Designer Kyle Dixon, Costume Designer Amanda Jenks, Lighting Designer Josh Bradford, Musical Director Julian Blackmore, and Production Stage Manager Angie McCormack.

Angelina Ballerina™, a beloved publishing property for close to three decades, is a little star with big dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. This feisty little mouse works hard to reach her goals and along the way, always learns from her mistakes. When little girls share in Angelina's experiences, they're inspired to go after their big dreams too. In addition to the critically acclaimed story books created by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig, Angelina Ballerina dances her way into the hearts of young girls on PBS KIDS® and Sprout® in the CG-animated series, Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps. For more information about Angelina Ballerina, please visit www.angelinaballerina.com.

Susan DiLallo (Book and Lyrics) is a recipient of the covetEd Kleban Award. Her libretto for an original musical comedy, Iron Curtain, earned her a Jonathan Larson Award. The show was further developed during a residency at the Eugene O'Neill Music Theater Conference, and showcased at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was seen in the 2009 NAMT Festival, The Village Theater, and in NYC in November. Her book and lyrics to another original musical comedy, Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, won both a Richard Rodgers Award and The Global Search for New Musicals Competition, Cardiff 2005. It has had several regional and international productions, and opens in August 2012 at the Surflight Theater, NJ (Roy Miller, Producer). Other credits include: revised libretto for the classic Arthur Schwartz/! Dorothy Fields/George Abbott musical A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Theatre at St. Clement's, March, 2011 (commissioned by Peccadillo Theater Company), Outer Critics Circle nominee, Best Revival of a Musical; book and lyrics for two musicals based on the children's book and PBS series Angelina Ballerina the Musical (commissioned by Vital Theatre Company), currently running in NYC; book and lyrics for the Mattel/Clear Channel production of Barbie Live! In Fairytopia (national tour, 2006); book and lyrics for Pinocchio, a Family Musical about Adoption (winner, Hangar Theater KIDDSTUFF New Play Competition); lyrics for The Soprano State: New Jersey's Culture of Corruption (film), directed by Peter LeDonne. 2010; currently writing book and lyrics for a musicalization of the James Patterson novel, Sundays at Tiffany's. She has a B.S. from New York University (English l! iterature/ Secondary Ed) Member: ASCAP and the Dramatists Gui! ld.

Ben Morss (Music) wrote the music and lyrics for Cinderella's Mice, which was produced by Vital in 2006. Cinderella's Mice and his other children's musical, Pop Star, are published by Samuel French. He is an alumnus of the BMI Workshop, arranged the music for the stage version of Trey Parker's Cannibal! The Musical and created music for Anansi the Story King at Georgetown University. He has played piano and arranged for platinum-selling bands such as Cake and Wheatus, and his playing was used in the films Sidewalks of New York and L.I.E.. His own new band, Chariots of Tuna, has been praised on blogs from Sweden to Brazil and, in 2010, will be playing festivals around the world. He leads the nine-piece crossover group, The Infinite Orchestra. He earned his doctorate in music from the Univ! ersity of California at Davis.

HIT Entertainment is one of the world's leading children's entertainment producers and rights owners. HIT Entertainment is a division of Fisher-Price. HIT's portfolio includes properties such as Thomas & Friends®, Barney®, Bob the Builder®, Fireman Sam®, Angelina Ballerina®, Mike the Knight™, Pingu® and Rainbow Magic®. Launched in 1989, HIT's lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing, digital media, and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com

Vital Theatre Company is dedicated to producing entertaining and educational theatre for young audiences. Located on New York City's Upper West Side at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre, Vital Theatre Company commissions three to five new musicals for children each season. Since its founding in 1999, Vital Theatre Company has been honored with the 2012 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Musical, two Awards for Excellence by the Off-Off Broadway Review, and has received high acclaim from audiences and critics alike for being "a wonderful place for parents to introduce their kids to the glories of live theatre, done well and at modest prices" (Off-Off Broadway Review). Now entering its 14th season, the company has presented 76 original productions for over 300,000 children and their families. Vital Voices, Vital Theatre Co! mpany's vibrant Arts-in-Education program, engages over 1700 NYC Public school students and eight school communities by integrating theatre arts into the core curriculum to stimulate academic progress and inspire creative achievement.