Mystic Seaport Museum is celebrating 40 years of its holiday performance, Lantern Light Tours with a nod to past productions and a return to classic holiday themes. A Mystic holiday tradition, Lantern Light Tours is a progressive play that weaves a heart-warming holiday story in the setting of the historic buildings and vessels of the Museum. The Lantern Light Tours plot changes every year and the writing and production planning begins early in the spring. This year’s script was written by Rebecca Bayreuther-Donohue, a longtime Museum staff member and a 20-year veteran of the production. Titled A Christmas Sea-Chantey; in prose being A Story of 1876 Greenmanville, the story is an adaptation of the quintessential 19th-century Christmas tale Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Bayreuther-Donohue incorporated elements from Dickens along with characters who appeared in past versions of Lantern Light Tours. “As this year marks our 40th Lantern Light Tours production, the script has some call-backs to previous shows for a touch of nostalgia for those who have been coming for years,” says Nathan Rumney, the Museum’s Supervisor of Interpretation, Theatre and Music. “The story will be rich and fulfilling regardless of it being a tour-goer’s first or 40th trip through 1876 Greenmanville. Visitors join a group of 16 to tour the Museum’s village, stopping at designated points to take in the next chapter of the story. Along the way, they will enjoy scenes of seasonal delight, including a winter fantasia, a spirited dance, a visit with St. Nick, and a scene on board one of the Museum’s historic vessels. Performances are November 23, 29-30, December 6-7, 13-15, and 20-22. Tours begin at 5 p.m. and leave every 15 minutes. Tickets may be purchased online at www.mysticseaport.org/lanternlighttours, or by calling 860.572.0711. Tickets are $33 for adults ($28 for Mystic Seaport Museum members) and $28 for children ages 4-17 ($23 for members). Lantern Light Tours are not recommended for children under the age of 4. Media previews are available during the dress rehearsal November 21. About Mystic Seaport Museum Mystic Seaport Museum, founded in 1929, is the nation’s leading maritime museum. In addition to providing a multitude of immersive experiences, the Museum also houses a collection of more than two million artifacts that include more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography. The new Thompson Exhibition Building houses a state-of-the-art gallery that currently features J.M.W. Turner: Watercolors from Tate, the most comprehensive exhibition of Turner watercolors ever displayed in the U.S. Mystic Seaport Museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org and follow Mystic Seaport Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Mystic Seaport Museum Celebrates 40 Years of Lantern Light Tours
