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| The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Photo courtesy StageOne Family Theatre. |
The Best Christmas
Pageant Ever
By Barbara Robinson
Directed by Lucas W. Adams
Reviewed by Keith Waits
Entire contents are copyright © 2012, Keith Waits. All
rights reserved.
So many holiday shows tend towards heavy-handedness, with
the requisite message of peace on earth and goodwill. And while this production
of the venerable stage adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s 1971 book doesn’t
abandon that trend exactly, it is notable for the more subtle moments it
discovers.
The plot is a simple, tidy story about a woman who inherits
the direction of the annual church Christmas pageant after the woman who has
produced it for several years breaks her leg. The unexpected challenge turns
into a pending catastrophe when the six delinquent Herdman children volunteer
for the production. Although their initial motivation is the free snacks, they
quickly force their way into most of the primary roles and threaten to derail
the whole enterprise.
What is really taking place, however, is that the rough-and-tumble kids from the wrong side of the tracks shatter the complacency of the
mundane pageant experience, forcing the church members into a new appreciation
of the Christmas story and perhaps their overall faith as well. What is really
nice is that this observation is so effectively enacted by the cast without
calling too much attention to itself – a refreshing lack of preachiness in a
holiday show directed at children and families.
As Grace Bradley and her husband Bob, Leah Roberts and Doug
Scott Sorensen play off each other with expert comedic timing, and the other
handful of adult cast members provide well-balanced support. But the heart of
the story is with Imogene Herdman, and she was vividly played the night I saw
it by Elise Martino. (All children’s roles are double-cast.) The most
emotionally impactful moments belong to this young actress, and she carries them
off beautifully. The other Herdmans, as well as the more well-behaved children, are
also effectively realized by the disciplined young cast.
Director Lucas W. Adams keeps the production firmly grounded
in the traditional story but provides enough fresh nuance and detail to call
this Pageant his own. Clocking in at a swiftly paced 60 minutes, the laughs and
pathos are well-judged and result in a satisfying holiday treat that will
delight the kids and give the adults in the audience enough laughs to hold
their interest.
The Best Christmas
Pageant Ever
November
24 & December 8 & 15 @ 2 p.m. & 5 p.m.
December
20, 10 a.m. & 12 p.m.
StageOne Family Theatre
The
Kentucky Center, Bomhard Theater
501 West Main St.
Louisville, KY
502-584-7777
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