Night of Local Theater Enhances Lindenhurst's Beauty

'Tis the season. Or at least it will be before too long. And when Christmas arrives, Lindenhurst will be decked out in its Yuletime finest.

It's all due to efforts of the of Lindenhurst, which hangs wreaths, puts up holiday lights and keeps the village looking sharp.

The Society once again teamed with Studio Theatre, right in the heart of the village, for an on Sunday night. A special performance of the Neil Simon play Jake's Women was the centerpiece of a night that featured fun, food, drink and raffles, all to raise money for the Society's efforts.

"We use this money to purchase planters, flowers and Christmas decorations for the village," said Society Chairperson Evelyn Chivvis. "Everything [that's used to decorate] is all from our fundraisers."

Chivvis said this year's event - which has been held for more than 20 years - raised more than $500 for the Society.

The benefit started as an Evening under the Stars at Firemen's Park, as a variety show. However, it was soon apparent that a night at (and in) the local theater was the way to go.

"We started to realize how precarious it was because of the weather, and the seats are not that comfortable - bleachers - and we thought having such a nice theater in town, it would nice to bring it inside," Chivvis said.

hosts shows throughout the year, so it's appropriate that one of the few community theaters left on Long Island gives back to the village it calls home.

It takes a lot of work to keep Lindy looking great, and on this night, it's the cast of Jake's Women that was doing double duty.

The show runs through November 12, with performances Friday and Saturday nights, along with a Sunday matinee. The actors went right back on stage on Sunday night for the event's special performance.

"It's a little difficult to do [back-to-back shows] because it's an emotionally taxing show - two hours of me on stage pretty much non-stop," said Scott Hofer, a 30-year Long Island stage veteran who plays Jake. "But they're a great audience to do a show for; they're really supportive."

And on that night supporting local theater meant helping Lindy looking clean and green - quite a "beautiful" performance benefit.