(UNION, NJ) — American Theater Group (ATG) will participate in the Grand Opening Weekend of the new Union Arts Center with its presentation of Broadway Tales and Tunes, a unique “behind-the-scenes” look at Broadway with veteran theater critic Peter Filichia on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at the Arts Center located at 1980 Morris Avenue in Union. Showtime is 7:00pm.
Filichia will regale the audience with anecdotes, gossip and entertaining tales of his life on the aisle, including his 20 years as the state’s top critic for the NJ Star-Ledger. He will be joined by Broadway artists Erin Davie and Nehal Joshi, along with newcomer Aeja Barrows, singing popular songs from classic Broadway shows. Renowned Broadway music director and vocal coach Michael Lavine will serve as Musical Director for the 75-minute show, which will feature shows from the 1950s to the present.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the opening of this beautiful new facility by bringing an exciting Broadway experience to Union,” noted ATG Producing Artistic Director Jim Vagias. “Peter and Michael are quintessential industry insiders, and the evening will feature current and soon-to-be Broadway stars, with memorable theater stories and endearing songs. This event will expose local audiences to the high caliber of entertainment available in their own backyards.”
Peter Filichia and Michael Lavine
Tickets are specially priced for the Opening for $25 and are available for purchase online.
Called the “Ultimate Broadway Insider,” Peter Filichia has seen over 13,000 shows in 47 states and 17 foreign countries, appears on the “Broadway Radio” podcast and has a weekly column for Masterworks Broadway. He wrote a regular column, “Peter Filichia’s Diary,” for Playbill.com and TheaterMania.com for many years and is also the author of several books, including Broadway Musicals: the Biggest Hit and the Biggest Flop of the Season, 1959 to 2009. In addition, he served four terms as president and chairman of the nominating committee of the Drama Desk Awards.
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Erin Davie’s numerous Broadway credits include appearances as Camilla Parker Bowles in Diana, Yvonne/Naomi in Sunday in the Park with George, Violet Hilton in Side Show, Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Countess Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music, Young Little Edie in Grey Gardens (Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut) and Niki Harris in Curtains. Off-Broadway credits include: The Glorious Ones (Lincoln Center Theatre); Eve Harrington in Applause (Encores). She has appeared at the La Jolla Playhouse as Camilla Parker Bowles in the world premiere of Diana and Violet Hilton in Side Show. TV: Tales of the City, Orange Is the New Black, Law & Order, The Good Wife. Film: Angelfish, King Jack, Easter Mysteries.
Nehal Joshi’s Broadway credits include: The Cottage, Phantom of the Opera, Flying Over Sunset, All My Sons, School of Rock, Threepenny Opera, Gettin’ the Band Back Together, Les Misérables (Original Revival Cast). Off-Broadway, he has appeared in: Cyrano, Falling for Eve. Working (2008 revision) and Grand Hotel (Encores!). He recently appeared in the world premiere of Babbitt with Matthew Broderick at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. His other select regional credits include: Disgraced (Arena Stage); Peter & the Starcatcher (Actor Theatre of Louisville) Oklahoma! (Arena Stage) and Mister Roberts (Kennedy Center). Film/TV: Law & Order SVU (NBC), The Wire (HBO), Search Party (HBO), Blackout. Honors: Special Drama Desk Award.
Aeja Barrows, who recently starred in ATG’s production of Purlie in a break-out role as Lutiebelle, has studied at renowned institutions including the Baltimore School for the Arts, Manhattan School of Music, Interlochen arts camp and is a recent graduate of the American Musical Dramatic Academy (AMDA).
Michael Lavine has worked as a musical director, pianist, vocal coach and singer all over the world. He musically directed a concert of the works of Stephen Schwartz, featuring Stephen himself, Ben Vereen, Paul Shaffer, Alice Ripley, Daisy Eagan, Constantine Maroulis, Bryan Batt, and produced and musically directed “Rediscovered Hamlisch,” a CD of previously unrecorded songs by Marvin Hamlisch, featuring Kelli O’Hara and other Broadway stars. A graduate of Columbia University, Lavine conducts master classes around the world on the performance of songs and auditioning and regularly performs at 54 Below.
American Theater Group (ATG), founded in 2012, produces new and classic works primarily by American playwrights with an emphasis on the development of new works and the reimagining of undeservedly neglected older ones. It also provides quality arts-in-education initiatives, including its annual DramaFest for students and its PlayLab program for BIPOC and queer playwrights.
ATG programming is made possible in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
