American Idol season 2 winner and runner-up, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken are heading to Broadway. The two will join forces for a limited engagement holiday show of Christmas songs and comedy sketches. Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show begins performances Friday, Dec. 7, at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, with an official opening set for Dec. 11 and a closing night on Dec. 30, reports Deadline.
Ruben & Clay’s show was announced Thursday (Oct 18) on ABC’s The View. It’s not the first time the singers put a show together. In 2010, Ruben and Clay hit the road with a summer “Timeless” tour, which was a similar mix of music and comedy–without the Christmas theme of course. The duo also performed a Christmas tune on The View in 2016. (No Deadline. It’s not the first reunion of the two since their 2003 Idol run).
Portions of the show’s proceeds will go to the National Inclusion Project, an organization devoted to the inclusion of children with disabilities in community and education programs.
“Christmas is about family, friends and fun,” Ruben said. “Clay and I can’t wait to bring all those things together on Broadway this December!”
Clay said: “There are really only two things that could get me back in stage after taking a break for over five years: my buddy, Ruben, and Christmas! It’s been 15 years since he beat me on Idol, and it’s taken an entire decade and a half for me to lick my wounds. But the holidays are about togetherness, so now that he is older and I am wiser, I can think of no better way to celebrate 15 years of friendship than by spending this holiday season together on Broadway.”
Watch a behind the scenes video below:
