VLOG

The Village Light Opera Group, Ltd.

VLOG's debut of "Scrooge & Gilbert & Sullivan"

Founded in 1935 by a talented group of medical doctors, The Village Light Opera Group, Ltd. (VLOG) is today a recognized staple of New York City's cultural life.

Although formed by Allen and Elizabeth Hinckley to offer Gilbert & Sullivan classics to the Greenwich Village community, VLOG has since greatly expanded both its repertoire and its audience. Now Broadway hits such as The Music Man and The Most Happy Fella, and light opera classics like The Desert Song and The Merry Widow, are performed along with Gilbert & Sullivan's offerings at the 750-seat Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University. With its professional, full-sized orchestra, each of VLOG's twice-annual shows is a highly polished production incorporating anywhere from 40 to 60-plus cast members.

"The Mikado" by Gilbert & Sullivan by VLOG

In the summer of 1976, VLOG joined forces with London's Philbeach Society, a London-based theatre company, and the British American Light Opera Exchange (BALOE) was born. BALOE shows are produced every six years during the summer and alternate between London and New York, giving each company a chance to travel.

In 1960, VLOG celebrated its Silver Jubilee, and in March 1985, VLOG marked its 50th Anniversary with a special Golden Jubilee Celebration chaired by longtime supporter Isaac Asimov.

The Village Light Opera's "The Music Man"

Today, VLOG boasts a paid membership of more than 200! The professionalism of VLOG performances may surprise some audiences, considering that many of its members hold `regular' nine-to-five jobs. Many of its alumni have gone on to successful careers in the performing arts, but as an organization VLOG’s volunteers are still the driving force behind each production, as all members serve multiple capacities, whether by building sets, making costumes, or working on publicity, ticket sales, or marketing. For the members of the Village Light Opera Group, each production is truly a labor of love.

What do the Critics Have to Say??? Listen to What the Critics Have to Say about The Village Light Opera Group!

"This group is special. They perform to a standard not often reached!" Applause--New York's Guide to the Performing Arts

"VLOG members are the most enterprising around. They present two shows a year at the Fashion Institute of Technology, usually one Gilbert and Sullivan and one American musical or light opera. Members handle every aspect of the performances, from sets and costumes and marketing and ticket sales to the actual singing and dancing......The shows are delightful, the singing excellent." The New York Book of Music by Ira Rosenblum

"How does VLOG do "The Gondoliers"? Very well indeed, thank you." The Gondoliers, The New York Daily News

"Its luxurious performance ... under Ronald W. Noll's [musical] direction proved it to be in a class with such Viennese products as Lehar's Merry Widow and Strauss' Die Fledermaus." Countess Maritza, Backstage

"The Village Light Opera Group has built a considerable reputation for its lively revivals of classic musicals." Carousel, The New York Times

"The big audience favorites were the juvenile leads....and the bulk of the huge supporting cast, plus the chorus and dancers, were first-rate." Kismet, The New York Daily News

"HMS Pinafore became Dames at Sea and anything went." USS Pinafore, The New York Daily News

"A superlative presentation....unfortunately, this abbondanza of a show only plays through next weekend." The Most Happy Fella, The New York Daily News

"Solidly crafted and enthusiastically performed....their choral work....is exemplary in its rousing force and clarity." Oklahoma!, The New York Times