The cast of the 2024 edition of Easy Street Productions’ “Miracle on Easy Street” would barely fit in the audience of the Uptown Theatre where the show was born, much less on its tiny stage.

“Miracle,” originally called “Yuletime at the Uptown,” was conceived in 1990 as a way to take a break from the long-running musical “Pump Boys and Dinettes” and create a holiday offering.

There was no room for dancers or Little Rascals at the Uptown, but some elements that were part of that first show — like the Hats Half Off routine performed by Easy Street cofounder Todd Hancock, first as a solo number and through the years with an assortment of young partners — will be a part of the 35th edition, which opens Friday at Powers Auditorium.

“Yuletime” was an immediate success, Easy Street cofounder Maureen Collins said, and it sold out its month-long run. The show moved to Stambaugh Auditorium its second year, but the venue was so big, they decided to do general admission seating.

“We had groups of people coming, waiting at the door and running in,” Collin said. “It was nuts that people were so crazy for it.”

As the cast grew, “Miracle” needed more space in the wings and backstage than Stambaugh had, and the show eventually moved to its current home, which Collins called, “The most beautiful venue in the country.”

Collins has been singing some of the numbers she performs for decades, but what keeps the show fresh for her is seeing it through the eyes of those Little Rascals, the children who participate in her performance workshops. For them it may be their very first time on a stage, certainly one as big as Powers Auditorium.

“The most wonderful thing about this year is we have 40 brand new families of kids who’ve never danced or been Rascals in the show,” Collins said. “It’s exciting, the new faces and the new excitement. They don’t know what the show is … Just seeing that excitement, it was something I definitely needed and didn’t even realize it.”

Choreographer Megan Cleland also is using a larger-than-normal troupe of dancers for the musical numbers.

“Megan used everyone that auditioned, because she said, ‘I just had to,'” Collins said. “Well, we need the influx of people, so do it. And yesterday (Sunday), in our studio, there were 71 dancers, plus the singers, plus some other people. And I just had tears. It was so great.”

The dancers for this year’s show are: Lexie Alexander, Alivia Anzevino, Aliyana Broderick, Breyelle Brown, Brooklyn Brown, Julianna Brubaker, Candace Campana, Emma Capogreco, Giana Castle, Megan Cleland, Tori Collins, Alaynna D’Angelo, Colleen Davis, Alex Hagood Derthick, Keira Dirksen, Jayden Edington, Lucia Farina, Olivia Fennema, Alyssa Frank, Ava Gaffney, Quinn Gaffney, Claire Gintert, Macey Guerra, Emma Hall, Maddie Handel, Liz Hernan, Julia Jones, Ioanna Katsourakis, Claire Keating, Sophia Klindworth, Leah Kovacs, Alexia Little, Danielle Little, Olivia Madura, Jillian Malish, Rosie Manning, Christine Marenkovic, Matilda Mausteller, Maddie Massuri, Janelle McConnell, Kailey Meehan, Aubrey Middlestead, Madelyn Miller, Madison Nickels, Leeshy O’Connell, Skylar Palmer, Hannah Peterson, Alexis Pomponio, Katherine Pomponio, Jimmy Puhalla, Emma Puhl, Jaylyn Racick, Jordyn Racick, Carmela Ragozzino, Julia Ragozzino, McKenzie Roth, Zoey Schneiter, Mia Sciola, Tessa Sciola, Ava Semenovich, Madelyn Sipusic, Brittany Sellers, Brooklyn Sellers, Larkin Stanford, Gia Stevens, Harlow Stone, Kamillie Truslow, Alayna Valley, Aly Zavadil, Lena Zavadil and Georgie Zordich.

The milestone anniversary has Hancock and Collins thinking about those who no longer are a part of the show. While they’ve never acknowledged it from the stage, Collins said they added Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” after bandleader Jeff Sanders died in 2017. This year they’re bringing back one of his favorites, “Run, Rudolph, Run.”

“None of us had the heart to sing it (after he died),” Collins said. “But we’re bringing it back with the alumni tap dancers, and it’s so good. And then Katy (Collins) is going to sing the song, and she’s going to say, ‘This one’s for you, Jeff’ … ‘Miracle,’ in my head, will always be Jeff.

He was part of the creation of it.”

Joining Hancock, Maureen Collins and Katy Collins as vocalists will be James McClellan, Colleen Chance, Candace Campana and Cortney MacKay.

Don Yallech succeeded Sanders as leader of the Easy Street Little Band, and he will be joined by Rick Blackson, Lake Baum, Jeff Bremer, Matt Ferraro, Tim Harker, Dan Heasley, Bob Matchett and Stephen Hawk.

The same group of Teen Rascals — Zoey Anderson, Aleah Hall, Hannah Harnutovsky, Sydney Littleton, Caleb MacKay, Breckan Neuhaus, Finn O’Hara, Eliza Primous, Kaden Primous and Georgie Zordich — will do all three shows.

There are two different groups of Little Rascals. Friday’s Little Rascals are: Zoey Aspenlighter, Patrick Blascak, Rylie Bonacci, Huxley Boyle, Erin Brindle, Olivia Ciapala, Alexandra Cook, Maddy Dota, Evie Eddy, Mira Greenwalt, Brynley Ihnat, Devin Joy, Hayley Kane, Charlee Karzmer, Cylina Lively, Michelina Medina, Tabitha Mentzer, Persephone McCambridge, Julianna Moore, Ainsley Neil, Eliana O’Dea, Adrianna Osso, Georgios Pilatos, Nikolaos Pilatos, Panteliemon Pilatos, Addison Visa Ratliff, Callum Rodemoyer, Nora Russo, Melina Senich, Eden Sheesley, Olivia Sheesley, Liam Shodd, Amaya Slipski, Makenna Slipski, Maeve Tekac, Addison Teneyck, Aubrie Trolio, Sloane Vaughn, Adalynn Vrabel and Hudson Walker.

Little Rascals performing on Saturday and Sunday are: Ariana Bartos, Makayla Brubaker, Henry Buzzacco, Lexi Chance, Mya Crockett, Anna Beth Davidson, Eliana Duritza, Blake Gabler, Adalyn Ghizzoni, Caterina Ghizzoni, Avery Hall, Emma Hall, Gigi Hershfeldt, Rylie Hibbard, Scarlett Hibbard, Peyton Holmes, Sadie Hunt, Ellie Jennings, Aubreanna Johnson, Everlee Johnson, Mason Kunkel, Riley LaRocca, Melody Lowery, Rosie Manning, Hayden Moorhead, Stella Moorhead, Ellie Palm, Rylie Pieren, Hannah Peterson, Ellah Primous, Jakob Primous, Lukas Primous, Rylen Primous, Emilie Roberts, Brynlee Schellhorn, Samantha Schellhorn, Kyrene Sharlock, Ella Vernal, Emmy Vivo and Macey Vivo.

And there are three different casts of Mini Rascals: Brooke Bartolec, Peyton Collins, Sloane Eggleston, Madison Hicken, Aurora Martini, Finley Mahon, Emma O’Connell and Anastasios Pilatos on Friday; Frankie Gaskell, Ollie Kunkel, Aiden Miladore, Eloise Peterson, Aneya Primous, Hayley Reed and Cody Shaw on Saturday; and Hannah Brown, Raelynn Brown, Aviana Carpenter, Janay Hamrock, Emarsyn Johnson, Liliana Narducci and Macy Padurean on Sunday.

It’s a holiday tradition that continues to grow. Collins said ticket sales this year are good, although she made sure to point out that with 2,300 seats available at Powers, tickets always are available at the door.

It also shows no signs of stopping. Collins said there’s even a plan in place to keep the “Miracle” alive after she and Hancock no longer are involved.

“We have people in line — Megan (Cleland), Colleen (Chance), Katy (Collins), the young crew — they’re on call to keep the show going. They know the formula well.”

Don’t expect that to happen any time soon.

Collins said, “Hell, I don’t know what else I would do.”

If you go …

WHAT: Easy Street Productions — “Miracle on Easy Street”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: 260 W. Federal St., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: $35 premium seating, $29 adults, $25 senior citizens and military and $19 children ages 12 and younger. experienceyourarts.org and 330-259-9651.