EASTON, Pa. — A top-selling a cappella group that includes two Lehigh Valley natives will return to Easton’s State Theatre in December for two holiday shows, it was announced.
Also coming to the theater is a 10th anniversary tour of a beloved Broadway musical that was adapted from an earlier movie, then was made into another musical film version of the play.
Straight No Chaser will perform at the theater at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 5. And the stage play "Waitress" will be presented at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16.State Theatre
Straight No Chaser, the nine-man a cappella group best known for its viral internet video of “Twelve Days of Christmas” mashed with Toto’s “Africa,” will perform at the theater at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 5.
And the stage play "Waitress," which performed on Broadway 2016-20 and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical and three others, will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16.
Tickets are $44.23 to $185 soundcheck package that includes personal photograph and question-and-answer package for Straight No Chaser and $59.98–$120 for "Waitress."
They go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. today, May 21, at the theater website or its box office at 453 Northampton St., Easton.
The shows are part of State Theatre's 100th season.
Honors for group, play
The Making Spirits Bright tour that will bring Straight No Chaser to the theater has been a holiday tradition for nearly two decades.
The holiday connection for the group, which includes Forks Township native Walter Chase (who also is its musical director) and Allentown native Jerome Collins, is its viral internet video of “Twelve Days of Christmas” mashed with Toto’s “Africa.”
That song, released 18 years ago, now has more than 30 million views online.
Straight No Chaser in 2008 signed with Atlantic Records and released its debut album, “Holiday Spirits” after the “12 Days of Christmas” video became YouTube's most-viewed video of 2007.
“Holiday Spirits” sold gold, as did the group’s sophomore disc, 2009’s “Christmas Cheers.”
The group overall has released 11 albums and seven EPs since, with two — 2010's "With a Twist" and 2013's "Under the Influence" — reaching the Top 30 on Billboard's Albums chart.
Its latest was "Holiday Road," released in October.
"Waitress" had its start as a 2007 film starring Keri Russell as a young woman trapped in a small town and an abusive marriage.
The stage musical based on the film premiered on Broadway in 2016, with music and lyrics by hit singer Sara Bareilles, and ran through 2020.
It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
A film adaptation of the play then hit theaters in 2023 starring Bareilles.
