The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

(Theatre Reviewer: Kim Vernall)

The Peninsula Community Theater rings in the Holiday season with the family-friendly The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, currently running through December 19.  The production is fast-paced, well acted and directed, but the show itself is showing some age. More on that later.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is based on the 1972 book by the same name.  Numerous productions of it inevitably pop up every Holiday season; it’s been an annual offering of the Norfolk-based Hurrah Players every year, so it’s nice to see a production of it on this side of the water.  Under the skillful direction of Le’Royce Bratsveen, the action moves along at a brisk pace that will keep the young ones entertained. 

This story line is pretty basic;   a local church is mounting its annual Christmas Pageant.  Because of an accident, the pageant’s usual director, Mrs. Armstrong (nicely played by Ellen Melvin) is unable to take charge, and hands over the directorial duties to Grace Bradley (Ashley Burton), whose own family members don’t want any part of the pageant either.    When audition time rolls around, the only kids willing to take on the roles are the Herdman’s;  an unruly bunch who terrorize kids at school and behave no better when they are in church.  When they assign themselves the leading roles in the pageant, everyone involved is sure the end product will be a disaster.

Hannah Robinson does a great job as Beth Bradley, daughter of the newly appointed director.  She serves as narrator, and effectively explains the behavior of the Herdman’s, not only from a narrator but a victim’s point of view.  Darius McCray also does a nice job as Charlie, her younger brother and fellow victim.  Jeffrey Jones does a great job as the Father; a combination of some very funny lines combined with great timing made for a wining performance.

As for the Herdman’s themselves, each of the actors deserves credit for playing some pretty unlikeable characters, but not overdoing it.  Yes, as audience members we may not approve of the Herdman’s behavior, but they are funny to watch.  Kudos to Jacob Stein (Ralph), Annabelle Hoffman (Imogene), Delan Cawford (Leroy), Jake Hoffman (Claude), Adam Stein (Ollie) and Laine Elliot (Gladys) for a job very well done.  The roles of Imogene and Gladys are probably the most memorable of the bunch; Gladys for the comedy and Imogene for her performance in the pageant, but all of the Herdman’s do a great job.

Also noteworthy are Rachel Bratsveen as Maxine, Amelia Lawrence as Alice, Matt Hoffman as Rev. Hopkins and Lucy May as Mrs. McCarthy.  May is always a pleasure to watch on stage, but to tell you why in this production would spoil some of the plot.  

However, there were a couple of things that confused me.  At the beginning of the show, one of the teenagers is on stage texting.  I thought “Ok, it’s set in modern day”.  But later, during the Grace/Mrs. Armstrong telephone scene, they are both using phones that appear to be about 25 years old.  There’s a bit where Grace has to get off the phone so she can get some work done.  She has to get off the phone, because she’s talking on one of the old, wall-mounted phones.  Grace is a young woman.  Wouldn’t she have a cell phone, or at least a cordless?  Also, I thought the Pageant was being put on by the children of the congregation.  But, when we see the pageant in progress, the women of the church are up there singing with the kids.  Perhaps it would have worked better if the women had been in choir robes, but they looked out of place standing alongside the kids who are in their pageant costumes.

But those two issues are minor compared to what, for me, demonstrates the age of the piece.  What church, in this day and age, would reject members of their community…children no less….who are so obviously in need?   It’s apparent that the Herdman’s situation comes from poverty; the fact they are on welfare is mentioned several times.   Yet when they show up, the adults are thrown into frenzy and are convinced the pageant will be ruined because of their presence.  There is a reason why it becomes “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”.  Sadly, the adults in the church have no role in what happens.  Since I work for a local Social Services agency, perhaps I’m more sensitive to this issue than most people.  And, like I said, the Hurrah Players do this show every year, so obviously it’s not an issue for most.  But I have to ask; at this time of year, and in a year such as this, is it really appropriate to depict welfare recipients in such a way?    But more important, by the end of the show, the members of the church still have done nothing to help this family, and that’s the issue I have with this show.

But that criticism has to do with the show itself.  A show based on a book written in 1972.  Mrs. Bratsveen and her talented cast are simply doing the show as written.  Bottom line:  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is family fun.  The kids will enjoy the antics of the Herdman’s, and any adult who has ever been in charge of a group of kids will certainly sympathize with Grace.  And in the end, at least some of the characters do learn the true meaning of Christmas.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever runs through December 20, 2009 contact: http://www.pctlive.org/box.php

for ticket information.