Karen Bloom
It’s that festive time of year – at our local landmarks, on area stages, and even outdoors. So take a break this weekend to refresh and refocus. The region is brimming with holiday cheer that will appeal to all ages.
Holiday Theatricals
Local stages offer upbeat family productions throughout the season. Everyone will enjoy these spirited performances.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
In this hilarious holiday tale, presented by BroadHollow Theatre Company, a mother struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids – probably the most inventively awful kids in history. Audiences won’t believe the mayhem – and the fun – when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on! What ensues are laughter, tears, a small fire, and ‘the best Christmas pageant ever.’ The play been called “an American classic.”
Performances are held Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 11-12, at 4 p.m.; also Dec. 18-19. Tickets are $10.
The BroadHollow Theatre also offers “Holiday for Toys,” an adventure involving toys that come to life in a toy shop. It can be seen on Saturday, at 1 p.m.
The theater is located at 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. For ticket information, call (516) 775-4420, or visit www.broadhollow.org.
Madeline’s Christmas
Meet the ever-spunky, resourceful Madeline when Lynbrook-based Plaza Theatrical Productions presents a musical play adapted from one of Ludwig Bemelman’s captivating books. It’s the night before Christmas and everyone is sick in bed with the flu except brave Madeline, who feels just fine and must take care of the seven other little girls and Miss Clavel “in the old house in Paris all covered with vines.” The show runs for one hour and is followed by a meet and greet with the cast.
See Madeline’s Christmas, Sunday, Dec. 12, at 1 p.m.; also Dec. 19, at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. The Show Place at the Bellmore Movies is at 222 Pettit Ave., Bellmore. For information, call (516) 599-6870 or visit
www.plazatheatrical.com.
Coe Hall’s Magical Banquet
The magnificent dining room at Coe Hall in Oyster Bay, the Elizabethan revival Gold Coast mansion built by William Robertson Coe in 1921, has been transformed into a grand Renaissance banqueting chamber throughout December. For visitors who gaze upon this holiday feast for the eyes – weekends, noon to 3 p.m. – it’s as if royalty was expected to dinner.
In this unusual display, the elaborate gold and silver décor typical of royal occasions 400 years ago has been recreated using over 300 decorative objects made from thousands of recycled items and thrift store remnants. All of them have been painted gold to create a stunning glittering vision. Used toys, once-discarded vases, old stands for table lamps, and even part of a truck tire, have been imaginatively combined to look like a fantastic tableau; an Elizabethan banquet of 1600.
The display includes mechanical singing birds of the type that were first made in the 16th century by goldsmiths for use on dining room tables. Many fantastical animals are featured in the display, including miniature winged horses. It’s as though Queen Elizabeth I herself is coming to dinner, perhaps to celebrate the December Solstice. The Queen made regular visits to the houses of her courtiers throughout England where she would hunt and be lavishly entertained. Many such residences were built with entertaining the Queen in mind.
Coe Hall’s exhibit was inspired by this royal tradition. The result is a unique display ‘fit for a Queen.’
Also, enjoy a full schedule of entertainment throughout the weekend. Christopher Morrongiello, lutenist, performs on Friday, at noon and 2 p.m.; pianist William Barash presents a sing-along on Saturday, at noon and 2 p.m.; and Sunday features a holiday performance of chamber music masterworks, at 1 p.m. Renowned violinist Anastasia Khitruk and pianist Elena Baksht perform Cesar Franck’s great Sonata for Violin and Piano, along with masterpieces from the chamber music repertory. The kids will enjoy a show with storyteller Jonathan Kruk, at noon and 2 p.m.
Coe Hall is located at 1395 Planting Fields Rd., Oyster Bay. For information, contact (516) 922-9200 or visit www.plantingfields.org.
Rock Hall Museum
Rock Hall Museum in Lawrence is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian colonial architecture on Long Island. During December, the home is dressed up for the holidays and ready to celebrate the season this weekend.
View the home through the eyes of a “slave,” during a Living History holiday tour on Sunday, at 1 and 2:30 p.m., which offers an intriguing look back at how Rock Hall’s residents lived centuries ago. Guests are personally escorted through the cellar and the first two floors of the home, where visitors may also encounter other members of the Martin family wandering the halls.
Rock Hall Museum is located at 199 Broadway, Lawrence. For information and reservations, contact (516) 239-1157.
Old Westbury Gardens
The holiday season is well underway at Old Westbury Gardens’ Westbury House, which is grandly decorated in its holiday best. The celebration continues this weekend with guided tours, children’s activities, and entertainment. Saturday includes a guided tour, visit with Santa and a children’s holiday craft activity. Also, visit the Designer Showhouse at Orchard Hill, with its unique interpretations of the “Home for Holidays” theme. The historic farmhouse with its decorator designed rooms, closes this weekend.
Old Westbury Gardens is located at 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information, contact (516) 333-0048 or visit www.oldwestburygardens.org.
