Gregory Toroian Presents CHRISTMAS DREAMING featuring singers Ellen Auwarter, Alison Bonelli, Deanna Monaco, Kati Neiheisel, Ann Talman. With musical director Gregory Toroian on piano, Skip Ward on bass, David Silliman on drums. Directed by Geoff Stoner. Christmas time is here! Join us as we celebrate the season with festive holiday tunes - classic and contemporary, comic and profound, spirited and nostalgic!
It wouldn't be the holiday season without performances by musical director Gregory Toroian, aka "Mr. Christmas," and his accomplished musicians and singers. Rob Lester of EdgeMediaNetwork.com noted of one such show: "Working with bassist Skip Ward and drummer David Silliman, musical director/pianist/arranger Gregory Toroian — a true Christmas song connoisseur/collector/appreciator — creates fond settings that allow all kinds of genres to sparkle...Directed with style and spirit by Geoff Stoner."
Tickets online are $20. Tickets at the door, if available, are $25 (Cash Only). There is a $20 minimum per person (food or beverage). The house opens at 6:00pm for food and beverage service. Please join us for dinner. Seating is first come first served. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.
Cast and Creative team for Gregory Toroian Holiday Show: Christmas Dreaming at Pangea
Cast
Gregory Toroian
Musical Director/Arranger/Pianist
Gregory Toroian is a musical director, arranger, jazz pianist, vocalist, songwriter, and educator. He has been featured in Cabaret Scenes magazine and was the 2020 Bistro Award winner for Outstanding Collaboration with Sue Matsuki, with whom he had also won a MAC award for Best Duo Production. In addition to working with such artists as Tony Bennett, Jon Hendricks, Cab Calloway, Donna Summer, Melissa Errico, Marilyn Maye, Karen Mason, and Jane Olivor, he has appeared in almost every jazz club and cabaret (major and minor) in New York. He has toured with principal dancers from the New York City Ballet and has made numerous radio and television appearances including the Today Show and Maury Povich. His recording work includes the recent debut CD of Suzanna Ross, the debut CD of award-winning cabaret artist Sue Matsuki, for which he was arranger, producer, and pianist, and seven CDs with cabaret singer Nancy Stearns. Gregory’s vocal arrangements have been featured on a series of albums in the US and Japan, by the vocal group String of Pearls. He currently offers an array of performance workshops.
Skip Ward
Bassist
Skip Ward is a Grammy Award Winning Bassist, Guitarist, Ukulele-ist (is that a word), Lap Steel, Tuba and Penny Whistle. Ward is a classically-trained jazz musician with a penchant for rock n' roll, and fusion, blues and bluegrass. Artists he has played/recorded with include: Tony Trischka, with Steve Martin, Phoebe Snow, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Cyndi Lauper, Cassandra Wilson, David Sancious (Sting, Eric Clapton), Melissa Manchester, Glenn Miller Orchestra and more! You may have also seen him on David Letterman, SNL or the Ellen DeGeneres Show. You'll hear Skip on many soundtracks, and he has been on national tours with a number of major theatrical productions. In New York City: Shakespeare in the Park (As You Like It), Hands On A Hardbody, Million Dollar Quartet, High School Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, Song & Dance, A Chorus Line and West Side Story.
David Silliman
Drummer
David Silliman is a drummer and percussionist. David's middle name should be “versatility”. Whether accompanying song stylists such as Mariah Carey, Cassandra Wilson, and Blossom Dearie or playing with Colombian Harpist Edmar Castaneda, David's exciting rhythmic energies add color and mood to any musical performance. He's also comfortable playing in the pit of a Broadway show or with the New Jersey Symphony. David has over 20 years of experience. His performances have taken him to concerts and festivals in Italy, Vienna, Berlin, the North Sea, Monterey, Uruguay and Lithuania. David was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he was exposed to a wide variety of music. David's first studies were in the Classical field, studying snare drum, xylophone and timpani. Later studies exposed him to Jazz, Latin Jazz, Brazilian and Funk music.“ I love living in NY because it gives me the opportunity to play and perform with so many diverse artists, across all styles of music!”
Ellen Auwarter
Vocalist
Ellen Auwarter discovered cabaret through a workshop with award-winning director Lina Koutrakos. Her debut solo show, Make Just a Ripple: Songs about Life’s Brave Moments, directed by Eadie Scott, with musical direction by Paul Chamlin, sold out three times at Don’t Tell Mama. In addition to Mama’s, Ellen has performed in NYC at Pangea, Triad Theater, 53 Above, Eighty-Eights, and in Chicago at Davenport’s and Le Piano. In 2022, She was a finalist at the Tomatoes Got Talent show, and from 2023 through 2025, she performed at the Midwest Cabaret Conference in Chicago. This is Ellen’s fifth Christmas show directed by Geoff Stoner with musical direction by Gregory Toroian.
Alison Bonelli
Vocalist
Alison Bonelli is an experienced litigator by day and an experienced vocalist by night. In NYC, Alison has performed at Don't Tell Mama, The Duplex, and Pangea. Her solo cabaret debut is eagerly anticipated by everyone and anyone who has heard her mellifluous voice.
Deanna Monaco
Vocalist
Deanna Monaco has roots in theater on Long Island with leading roles in Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun, Brigadoon, and The Mikado. She was bitten by the cabaret bug after seeing students of director Helen Baldassare perform at Don’t Tell Mama in the original room. Soon after, Deanna performed her solo cabaret debut in that same room at Mama’s. The show, Come Summer, directed by Baldassare, with musical direction by Paul Greenwood, shared stories of her summers growing up on Long Island.
Kati Neiheisel
Vocalist
Kati Neiheisel is a 2025 MAC Award Nominee for her show, London by Night, celebrating singer Julie London, directed by Lina Koutrakos, with musical direction by Gregory Toroian, and a 2018 MAC Award Nominee for her debut show, Among the Stars, directed by Deb Berman, with musical direction by Toroian. She was introduced to cabaret by Helen Baldassare and has studied with Marilyn Maye and the late musical director Barry Levitt. In NYC, Kati has performed at the Cutting Room, Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex, 54 Below, The Green Room 42, Metropolitan Room, Pangea, Triad Theater, Urban Stages, and at Jazz on Main in Mount Kisco, NY.
Ann Talman
Vocalist
Ann Talman is an actor, singer, writer, and four-time Broadway veteran. Her cabaret, The Shadow of Her Smile, won 2023 MAC and BISTRO Awards. Her short documentary Woody’s Order! based on her solo play about her lifelong dedication to her older brother Woody who lived a full life with cerebral palsy, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. www.AnnTalman.com.
Creative Team
Geoff Stoner
Director
Geoff Stoner is an actor, cabaret performer, and director. As an actor, Stoner most recently appeared in “A Poster Of The Cosmos” and “Breakfast At The Track,” by Lanford Wilson at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. Geoff’s cabaret shows include A Short Visit Only, based on the life and songs of Noël Coward; You’re The Top, featuring the songs of Cole Porter; and Words Wit Music, his slice-of-life account of growing up in small-town Connecticut. Stoner studied acting with Uta Hagen and Wynn Handman. He has also directed numerous cabaret group and solo shows around New York City.
SUBMIT UPDATES
Pangea Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
Gregory Toroian Holiday Show "Christmas Dreaming" (12/9/25-12/9/25)
Pangea is at 178 2nd Ave, New York, NY.
Gregory Toroian Holiday Show "Christmas Dreaming" (12/9/25-12/9/25)
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