Babylon Village's Argyle Theatre opens a jazz-scored holiday musical for children on Saturday, November 21: The Happy Elf, written by Harry Connick, Jr., runs on the theater's Children's Theatre stage through January 3, 2027. It joins Disney's Mary Poppins, which opens on the main stage on November 12 and runs on the same closing date, so for six weeks the West Main Street theater will have two holiday shows playing under one roof.

The theater has also posted the rest of its 2026-27 main stage season, which runs from Elvis Presley in the winter to Jimmy Buffett at the end of summer.

What The Happy Elf is

The show follows Eubie the Elf, who sets out to spread Christmas joy through the town of Bluesville. Connick, a Grammy winner and Tony nominee, wrote the music and lyrics, and he built the score around jazz with the stated aim of introducing children to the genre. The story deals with friendship, getting past setbacks and believing in yourself, and the Argyle bills it as a show for the whole family.

The production is sponsored by Good Samaritan Hospital. Tickets for season ticket holders are $23, and groups of 15 or more can get a group rate by calling the box office.

The Happy Elf is the first title of the Argyle's 2026-27 children's season. The theater's children's lineup also lists Rapunzel, Alice in Wonderland and Madagascar, with dates posted on its website as each show approaches.

On the main stage now: Mary Poppins

The main stage holiday production is the Disney and Cameron Mackintosh stage version of Mary Poppins, based on the P.L. Travers books and the Walt Disney film. On Broadway it ran for more than 2,500 performances and drew nine Olivier and seven Tony nominations, including Best Musical. It plays November 12 through January 3, 2027.

The 2027 main stage season

  • All Shook Up, January 28 to March 14. A musical built on Elvis Presley songs including Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock, with a book by Joe DiPietro, who created the Tony-winning Memphis. It is set in 1955 and is loosely based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: a guitar-playing young man rides into a small town and upends it.
  • The Cher Show, April 8 to May 30. The life of Cher, from childhood through her pop, television, film and rock years, told with her hits, including I Got You Babe and Believe, and a book by Rick Elice.
  • Escape to Margaritaville, July 1 to September 5. A romantic comedy set at a Caribbean island bar, scored with Jimmy Buffett songs including Margaritaville, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Fins. The book is by Greg Garcia, creator of My Name Is Earl, and Mike O'Malley.

Season tickets

The Argyle sells main stage season packages that keep the same seats for every show, with the option to renew or upgrade each season. Subscribers get a discounted rate on additional tickets, 20 percent off Children's Theatre tickets, presale access for concerts, comedy and special events, and ticket exchanges by phone when a date conflict comes up.

The theater describes itself as Long Island's largest year-round professional Equity theater. Its main hall has an orchestra pit, a balcony and a full-service bar, and its renovations were funded in part by a JumpSMART grant.

How to go

The Argyle Theatre is at 34 West Main Street in Babylon Village. The box office is at 844-631-5483 (844-631-LIVE), and tickets for every show are sold on the theater's website. The balcony is reached only by stairs and there is no elevator; guests who need accessible seating should call the box office at 631-230-3500, since those seats cannot be reserved online.

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