A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol at The Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island

It was 30 years ago this December that an unheralded play called A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol had its world premiere at a church in Garden City.  Since then that play has been seen in dozens of productions around the world, including a hit Off-Broadway production in 2001, and now the show’s 30th-anniversary production is returning to Long Island for shows in Islip, Westbury, Port Washington, Oceanside and Freeport.

Directed by author Gayden Wren and music-directed by Stephen O’Leary—the same team that helmed the 2001 Off-Broadway production hailed by The New York Times as “Extremely funny … Sure to warm more than one cold heart” and by The New Yorker as “The old tale newly interesting—and a lot more fun”—the 30th-anniversary production will be seen at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Islip on Friday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m.; at Westbury United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m.; at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Port Washington on Sunday, December 15, at 2 p.m.; at the First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside on Friday, December 20, at 7:30 p.m.; and at Freeport United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m.

A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption with book and lyrics by Wren, set to music from the Gilbert & Sullivan operas.  What does that mean?  Well, anyone who’s seen The Mikado or The Pirates of Penzance will recognize “Three Little Maids from School” and “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” in “Three Little Ghosts for Scrooge” and “I Am the Very Model of the Mystic Supernatural.”

Presented by the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island, the same company that presented the world premiere in 1994, the 30th-anniversary production stars Chris Diamond as the formidable Ebenezer Scrooge, along with Jordan Breslow as Bob Cratchit, Roseanne Rodriguez as Emily Cratchit, Hanna Roth as Tiny Tim, Paul Landon Dial as the Ghost of Marley, Patricia Gallagher as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Terry Hochler as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Delaney R. Page as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Gerald Quigley as Young Scrooge, John Benvenuto as Young Marley, Kara Vertucci as Belle, David Aubrey as Mr. Goodman and Lilly Chase as Cheapside Jackie.  Claudia Arroyo plays Dora Lincoln, Michael O’Malley plays Titus Burton, Eirini Stavropoulos plays Belinda Cratchit and Landon Kurland plays Peter Cratchit, with Ireland Hill as Sarah Cratchit; Stanley Bergman plays Uncle Tim, and Meaghan Mahoney plays the Balladeer, with Farah Chandu as the narrator.

Since its premiere on Long Island, A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol has been seen around the world, with productions in Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Wales and even Macedonia, as well as in Baton Rouge; Binghamton, N.Y.; Boston; Denver; Kansas City; Kilauea, Hawaii; Madison, Wisc.; Philadelphia; Rochester, N.Y.; Silver Spring, Md.; Topeka, Kans.; Wilmington, Del.; and many others, and now it’s returning to Long Island for five shows only.

The 30th-anniversary production of A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol will be presented for five performances at:

*  St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 754 Montauk Highway in Islip, on Friday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m.  Admission is $20 (parishioners or Islip Arts Council members $15, children under 12 $5.  For tickets or further information, call (631) 581-4950, visit stmarksislip.org or stop by the church office.

*  Westbury United Methodist Church, 265 Asbury Avenue East in Westbury, on Saturday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $30 (seniors $25, children $10, under 5 free).  For tickets or further information, call (516) 333-0874,visit www.wumcny.org or stop by the church office.

*  St. Stephen’s Church, 9 Carlton Avenue in Port Washington, on Sunday, December 15, at 2 p.m.  Admission is $25, or $10 for children/youth.  For tickets or further information, call (516) 767-0363, stop by the church office or visit www.ststephenspw.org.

*  First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside, 2701 Oceanside Road in Oceanside, on Friday, December 20, at 8:00 p.m.  Admission is $20.  For tickets or further information, call (516) 766-5916, visit Facebook.com/fpcoceansideny or stop by the church office.

*  Freeport United Methodist Church, 46 Pine Street in Freeport, on Saturday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $25 (seniors and students, $15).  For tickets or further information, call (516) 764-0643, e-mail office@freeportumc.net, visit www.freeportumc.net, or stop by the church office.