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TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
WORLD PREMIERE! Nov-Dec 2024
at DC's Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD


Hear us discuss the show on New York Theatre Barn's
BACKSTAGE PASS podcast:
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Narcissistic millennial influencer Chava Kanipshin (known to her followers as ”Queen Vava”) is obsessed with her social media empire… so much so that she has no time or energy for the real world, for actual friendships, or—least of all—for Hanukkah with her family. That is, until she is transported on an unforgettable trip that compels her to rethink everything… a trip led by Spirits of the Past, Present, and Future. Think you know this story? Think again! Irreverent playwright Harrison Bryan teams with composer Aaron Kenny and lyricist Rob Berliner to subvert—and convert—Dickens's holiday classic.

Wanna "Maccabee" involved?

a blast from "Hanukkah Past":
A LIGHT IN THE DARK by Boys2Mensch

Peep our PRESS!

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Sample Song Demos!

Click *Block*

(feat. WICKED's Talia Suskauer ...and AMAZON's "Alexa")

00:00 / 03:31

The Present is a Gift

(feat. Rob Berliner and Katie Luke)

00:00 / 02:18

The Girl I Used To Know

(feat. Fernanda Douglas, Katie Luke, and Paul Libman)

00:00 / 03:11

The Writing Team

AARON KENNY (Music)
Aaron Kenny is a composer for screen and stage, and a current member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop. A proud Aussie immigrant, Aaron has been the recipient of the Australian Young Composer of the Year Award and has since been featured stateside by ASCAP as a “Composer to Watch,” as well as being selected for the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop (NYC 2017). His musical On Your Mark! was featured in Theatre Now New York’s Sound Bites 3.0 and is now available through their anthology publication. His work with lyricist Rob Berliner earned them Finalist status for the 2021 Fred Ebb Award and has been performed in concert by the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, at BMI’s seasonal “Smoker” presentation, and at several shows at Feinstein’s/54 Below. They recently wrote songs for the original film musical "Brand New Year," which was commissioned and produced by the New York Film Academy, and earned the duo a Best Original Song nomination at the 2019 Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Aaron is the Music Assistant to theatre and film legend Alan Menken. For more: aaron-kenny.com or 
berlinerandkenny.com

ROB BERLINER  (Book and Lyrics)

ROB BERLINER is a songwriter, performer, and aspiring billionaire philanthropist. As a lyricist, he has been distinguished as a finalist for the Kleban Prize on four occasions and, in tandem with composer Aaron Kenny, was a 2021 finalist for the Fred Ebb Award. In 2022, he contributed lyrics to two original songs to composer Paul Libman's oldies-inspired score for The Chase Brock Experience's BIG SHOT. His updated lyrics to “You’re the Top” have been performed by Ann Harada at 54 Below, by Tony-winner and -nominee Santino Fontana and Laura Osnes at the Huntington Theatre's annual gala, and by stage and screen icons Alan Cumming and Liza Minnelli in... rehearsal. (So close! Someday.) He is a proud member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop and a graduate of Northwestern University.

For more: robberliner.com or berlinerandkenny.com

HARRISON BRYAN (Book and Original Concept)
Harrison Bryan is an award-winning Jewish American actor, playwright, librettist, producer, clown, and puppeteer. A proud member of The Dramatists Guild of America and Alliance of Jewish Theatre; Harrison is a two-time Awarded Finalist at NYC’s Steven Sondheim's “Write-A-Play Festival.” As an actor, he has appeared Off-Broadway, regionally, and on tour, and was recently nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for their performance as Christopher Boone in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Recipient of the 2019 New York Innovative Theatre Award, Harrison's writing has been featured, produced, read, and workshopped at The Cherry Lane Theatre, MCC's "FreshPlay Festival", FringeNYC, Broadway Comedy Club, Irish Rep, Round House Theatre, The BMI Advanced Writer’s Workshop, The Flea, Playthings Theatre Co., City Vineyard NYC, The Rude Mechanicals, Ugly Rhino, The Kraine, Open Hydrant, The Players Theatre, The Nuyorican, Dixon Place, People’s Improv Theatre, The Dramatist Guild Fund's Music Hall, Brunch Theatre, West of 10th, Lucky Jacks, Pete's Candy Store, UMKC, NYU, and Boston University. Brooklyn, born and raised, they served as a Writer/Actor for 5 years with “FACES, Theatre Network for Teens,” using playwriting and improvisation to promote tolerance, peace, and anti-bullying. 

For more: HarrisonBryan.com

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