Pantochino Productions Inc. will debut its new holiday musical “Welcome to Santa Claus” Friday, December 5 at the Milford Arts Council, The Mac in Downtown Milford. The family-friendly musical plays through December 21.
“Welcome to Santa Claus,” featuring book and lyrics by Bert Bernardi and music by Justin Rugg, is about a small town in Ohio with a holiday namesake where every shop, every restaurant, every day is all about Christmas. But when a hot shot lawyer threatens to ‘cease and desist,” it takes the jolly old elf himself to come to the rescue and save the town.
“Its like a ‘greeting card channel' movie live on stage” says writer/director Bert Bernardi. “It captures that small town charm and a colorful array of characters of all ages who live in Santa Claus,” he added. Bernardi continues “Its always fun to create a brand new holiday story for our audiences and this one just might be the merriest of them all.” Bernardi also promises the real life Santa Claus is featured live on stage playing himself!
The cast includes Pantochino company members Shelley Marsh Poggio, Jimmy Johansmeyer, Valerie Loomis, Katie Durham, Tracey Marble, Rachelle Ianniello, Killian Meehan, and composer Rugg. They are joined by Lia Jade, Marlena Ascher, Brenna Murphy and Quinn Fitzgerald. Also in the cast are two young actors, Davis Burke of Trumbull and Aurora Hinden of Milford. “Welcome to Santa Claus” features setting by Von Del Mar, costumes by Johansmeyer, lighting by Jakob Kelsey, sound by Tyler Kittleman, musical direction by Rugg and stage management by Christina Ronquillo.
Now in its sixteenth season, Pantochino Productions is widely acclaimed for its innovative, original musical theatre offerings, Summer Theatre Camps, Classes, After School Drama programs and Teen Theatre. The multi Award winning company is recipient of several “Best of Milford” Awards, many Broadway World Connecticut Awards and the Cultural Contribution Award presented by the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce. The 2025-26 Pantochino season is sponsored by Dennis Beirne of William Pitt Southeby's International Realty.
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