Santa Meets the Ice Dragon at the Beacon w/ Sesame Street's Bob

SANTA MEETS THE ICE DRAGON: A Symphonic Christmas Tale is a stylish new holiday production making its U.S. debut in a special engagement at New York City's Beacon Theatre, on Broadway @ 74th Street, from December 10-28. Starring Bob McGrath ("Bob" from Sesame Street) and performed live by the world-class American Symphony Orchestra, the concept for this original tale is quite unique and wonderful fare for the whole family. Tickets for 25 evening and matinee performances went on sale on Monday, September 13. Special preview performances will also be staged in upstate New York on December 4 and 5 at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, where the American Symphony Orchestra is the orchestra-in-residence.

Bob McGrath--best known as beloved music teacher on Sesame Street since the show's inception on PBS 35 years ago--is cast in the leading role as The Narrator, whose character sings and narrates and portrays all of the voices. "It's a brilliant production, a great Christmas story that is going to work for the whole family," says Bob. "There is a lot of humor, a lot of dancing, and the costumes are absolutely extraordinary. It's like taking your child to the symphony, to a ballet, and a Broadway show, all in one!"

Produced and directed by Anne Geenen of In the Wings Productions, this captivating production is a new and original Christmas tale, but has the kind of wonderfully old-fashioned, timeless storyline and enchanting symphonic score that will appeal to children and adults, alike. Geenen has also brought the performance troupe Mummenschanz and The Flying Karamazov Brothers to New York City in recent years for successful holiday engagements at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.

"I conceived of Santa Meets The Ice Dragon at the end of the millennium, when everyone was concerned about Y2K and what would happen in the new century, and I thought, about what it would mean to the world if there was never another Christmas," says Geenen. "I think people are yearning for the kinds of values and traditions associated with the Christmas spirit, so I created this show especially for the U.S. stage and brought on board the wonderfully talented Bob McGrath in the hopes this will become an instant, annual holiday classic."

The original score for Santa Meets the Ice Dragon is composed by the award-winning Erik Van der Wurff. For this production, he will conduct the renowned American Symphony Orchestra, with 28 pieces performing the live score. Comprised of New York City's finest musicians, the ASO performs at Avery Fisher Hall as part of the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center and regularly participates in numerous other sponsored cultural and educational events in addition to recording and touring worldwide. Choreographed by Gilles Monnart, the production also features an 11-member company of dancers portraying Santa, the young teenagers, Max and Sara, the elves in Santaland, and all of the other characters, who act out the scenes through dance as Bob McGrath narrates. In addition, the magical costumes, designed by Tony-nominated Yan Tax, remarkable sets and special effects--including a spectacular electronic 21-foot-tall Ice Dragon that melts in the end--will take children's breath away,

For more information about the production, please visit http://www.SantaMeetsTheIceDragon.com.

For tickets and performance schedules, call Ticketmaster (212-220-0508) or log on to www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available through the Beacon Theatre Box Office (212-496-7070; Groups: 212-398-8383 or 800-223-7565). Ticket prices begin at $25. There will be six evening performances every week at 7:30 pm, and matinee performances are scheduled at 2 pm every weekend (except Christmas Day) and select weekdays. There will also be a specially discounted school matinee that is also open to the public on Tuesday, December 14, at 12 pm.