The stage musical version of Miracle on 34th Street comes to the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post in Brookville for three performances, December 3 through 5, and the orchestra in the pit is from the South Shore: the Massapequa Philharmonic, conducted by its music director, David Bernard.

The production is presented by Premier Theatre Productions in the Tilles Center's Concert Hall, and the venue has added extras around each performance, including photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The show

This is Meredith Willson's adaptation of the 1947 film. Willson, who wrote The Music Man, wrote the book, music and lyrics himself. The story follows Doris Walker, a single mother who has raised her daughter not to believe in Santa Claus, until a string of events at Macy's leaves New York City trying to decide whether the store's Santa is the real Kris Kringle. The Tilles Center presents it as a family holiday musical.

The orchestra in the pit

The Massapequa Philharmonic is a Long Island orchestra that splits its season between two halls: Berner Auditorium, at 50 Carman Mill Road in Massapequa, and the Tilles Center. Bernard leads it as music director. Its 2026-27 season runs through music by Saint-Saëns, Berlioz, Benny Goodman, Beethoven and Prokofiev, and the orchestra's calendar lists An Afternoon With Benny Goodman, presented with the Anderson Brothers, on December 6, the day after the musical's last performance. Celebrating Beethoven follows on March 14, and the season closes on June 6.

Tickets to the orchestra's Berner Auditorium concerts are $20 at the door for adults, with a $20 suggested donation for students and seniors 65 and over; cash and cards are both accepted. Its Tilles Center concerts are ticketed through the Tilles Center.

Before the curtain

  • Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus are offered before all three performances.
  • Holiday carols by LIU's Sharks and Flats fill the Goldsmith Atrium from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on December 4 and 5 only.

How to go

The Tilles Center is on the LIU Post campus in Brookville. Performances are December 3, 4 and 5 in the Concert Hall; curtain times and seat prices are on the Tilles Center's event page, and tickets are sold through Ticketmaster. Prices are subject to change, so check the event page before buying.

Sources