'Charlie Brown,' 'Miracle on 34th Street' and 'Nutcracker' performances come to Long Island stages

A trio of beloved Christmas tales will come to life onstage throughout Long Island this holiday season. One is based on an Academy Award-winning film, another is from a classic TV special and the third follows the plot of a short story from the 1800s. Here are three classic shows to put on your calendar.

'MIRACLE ON 34th STREET'

Back in 1947 the George Seaton film "Miracle on 34th Street," starring Maureen O’Hara and John Payne, won three Academy Awards and went on to become an annual Christmas staple.

The film then turned into a Broadway musical in 1963 called "Here’s Love" from composer Meredith Willson ("The Music Man"), spawning the popular holiday song "It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."

The show, which comes to LIU Post’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville from Dec. 3-5, is launching its first national tour featuring an 18-piece orchestra.

"The musical parallels the plot of the film, but word-for-word, song-for-song it’s the same as the Broadway show," says producer Jim Vollertsen of Premiere Theater Productions. "The only difference is the title has changed."

The focus is on a man named Kris Kringle who claims he’s the real Santa Claus and tries to win over 7-year-old Susan Walker, who isn’t a believer.

"I think that’s a timeless story of how a child can break open your heart for what life has done to you," director/choreographer Antoinette DiPietropolo says. "Susan is the thread that shows even if you’ve had a bit of a hard time in your life, you can still choose love in the end."

WHEN | WHERE 7:30 p.m., Dec. 3-5, LIU Post’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville

INFO 516-299-3100, tillescenter.org

COST $45.80-$140.30

'A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS'

Part of adolescence is watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" during the holiday season. Now that animated TV special, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, comes to life at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts on Dec. 5.

"The Peanuts brand not only continues to survive but also thrive all around the world. It’s one of those few family shows that truly works for both adults and children," producer Todd Gershwin says. "Kids love everything Snoopy does plus Charles Schulz’s humor and writing really stands up 60 years later. This story is being passed down through three generations at this point."

The show remains true to the original story with the characters everyone knows and loves such as Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Sally, Snoopy and, of course, Charlie Brown.

"We use triple threat actors for the roles who are singing, dancing and acting in Broadway-style costumes," says Gershwin. "You see their faces; this isn’t one of those theme park mascot heads. It’s done in a very theatrical way."

A live jazz trio plays onstage, recreating the famous Vince Guaraldi score as well as Christmas tunes that are embedded in the story including "Christmas Time is Here."

"You will definitely see the iconic Peanuts dance a number of times," Gershwin promises. "It’s not a children’s show, but more of a family show that appeals to everyone in the audience."

WHEN | WHERE 7 p.m. Dec. 5; Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St., Patchogue

INFO 631-207-1313, patchoguetheatre.org

COST $50-$130

'THE NUTCRACKER'

For many families, a tradition during the month of December is attending a performance of "The Nutcracker." This tale, which stems from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 short story, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," gets presented by Eglevsky Ballet, featuring New York City Ballet principal dancers Miriam Miller and Tyler Angle, at the Tilles Center on Dec. 20 and 21.

"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s score is amazing. He was such a gifted storyteller. His music really makes the story," artistic director/choreographer Peter LeBreton Merz says. "The music was composed to represent several different countries. In the second act, we are trying to create pieces that show how each culture, represented in the music, celebrates the winter solstice. Even though different cultures celebrate in different ways, we are all sort of united in our human desire to celebrate the end of the year and look toward the return of the spring and summer months."

All the choreography in the production was created by Merz.

"It remains in the classical ballet genre, but most of the original choreography is kind of lost to time with the exception of the ‘Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier Pas de Deux.’ We are working in a classical style while still making every step our own," he says. "I have a great reverence for the tradition of classical ballet, but I also really feel compelled to breathe new life into ballet as much as possible. I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more sophisticated syncopation plus weave in and out of Tchaikovsky’s score in a compelling and more athletic fashion."

WHEN | WHERE 7 p.m., Dec. 20, 2 p.m., Dec. 21; LIU Post’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville

INFO 516-299-3100, tillescenter.org

COST $66.80-$99.45