"The One and Only Santa Claus"

Christmas carols, funny jokes, and a cast of all ages made for a great production of “The One and Only Santa Claus” that was performed in the newly renovated William Gill Jr. theater at the .

The 45-minute sold-out play on Dec. 10 about a television host doing a profile on Santa Claus was presented all weekend by the Children’s Theatre of New Hyde Park. 

“It’s a really fun kind of show for the holidays,” Director Marilyn McClean said. 

The 30-person cast, featuring Santa, elves, and the Easter Bunny started rehearsing in November and was happy with the final outcome. 

"Being on stage and seeing the kids sitting out front quietly, that tells me that it was a great success," commented Paul Mastrella, who played T.V. host Yul Tide.

Children and adults agreed; the show was a wonderful way to spread the Christmas spirit for the whole family.

Keith Drakes of New Hyde Park brought his young children to the theatre for the first time to see the play.

"I think it's great that they have the kids acting this young, they did a really good job," Drakes said.

At the end of the performance, the cast sang Christmas Carols with the audience and Santa himself stuck around to pass out candy to the children.

Anna Johnson, who was in the audience to see her niece said of the performance, “I think everybody did a beautiful job. They were great, their energy was high, and they were right on the money.”