I don't know about the best, but Park Square Theatre's production of
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! is the cutest Christmas pageant I've ever seen! I have vague recollections of the 1972 children's novel which was adapted for the stage ten years later, and a TV movie shortly thereafter which I probably saw as a kid. But I was mostly unfamiliar with the story walking into Park Square, and was completely charmed by it. Featuring a cast of just three adult actors and 18 children, it's a super sweet, rambunctious, funny, adorable 70 minutes of theater. There were tons of kids in the audience at the Sunday matinee that I attended, who were probably entertained by all of the shenanigans of the kids on stage. As was I, but I was also moved by the story of "bad kids" finally finding a place in the community and a story that inspired them. And yes, there is a movie version playing on the big screen right now, but live and local is always better.
See these talented kids having the time of their lives on Park Square's big stage in downtown St. Paul for two more weekends only!
The story is narrated by Beth (an engaging Victoria Mitchell), whose dad Gabe (Berto Borroto) is roped into (but secret thrilled about) directing their church's annual Christmas pageant when the usual director breaks her leg. Beth's other dad Ned (Nathan Tylutki) is less excited about it, but gamely supports his family, including second child Charlie (the adorably precocious Jonah Anderson). They all expect the pageant to be the same as every year, until the Herdman kids, a family of bullies, show up for the snacks. They force their way into all of the lead roles, scaring the other kids away, and are genuinely curious about and engaged with this story they've never heard before. Which makes the family see it, and the Herdmans, in a new light. In the end, what everyone thinks is going to be a disaster turns out to be a wonderful and heart-warming experience, through the magic of theater!
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Gabe (Berto Borroto) directs the kids in the pageant
(photo by Dan Norman) |
I like to joke that director Ellen Fenster-Gharib always makes me cry, but it's kind of true. She has a way of getting to the emotional heart of the piece. In this play, she also gets to the humorous heart of it, and manages to corral a herd of children into beautiful chaos. They act like kids pushing and shoving and goofing off, but always in character and within the context of the story. And yes, I did have a few tears in my eyes, especially at how moved eldest Herdman daughter Imogene (River Clementson) is when she not only plays Mary, but truly feels the experience, and sings from the pureness of her heart. And then youngest Herdman daughter Gladys (Freya Larson) comes out like a tiny blond devil of an angel and makes me laugh through my tears. All of the kids in this cast are so stinkin' cute, so natural and confident and totally in the moment, just the most honest and pure of actors (and they probably don't even realize they're doing it). The three adult actors (also including the versatile Beth Gilleland playing multiple characters) are so great with them, treating them as colleagues and really listening to them. It just warms the heart to see all of these joyful kids telling this story together.
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the cutest Christmas pageant ever! (photo by Dan Norman)
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The play-within-the-play may be a low budget church basement affair, but the production level on this show is high. The set is very reminiscent of a church or church basement, with its stained glass windows (albeit it with quilt squares instead of religious iconography) and wooden pews, the multiple levels creating more interest and variety in staging. And of course, it's all decked out for Christmas, with garlands and a huge tree, colored lights hanging all around that change per the mood. Lighting and sound design amplify the storytelling, in particular signifying when the "bad kids" roar onto the scene. The costume design is pretty adorable, with the kids dressed in bright colors, and the Herdmans a contrast in dark greys and blacks. For the pageant, we get angelic white dresses for the angels and dad's bathrobe for the shepherds. (Scenic design by Kirsten Lee Jolly, lighting design by Shannon Elliott, sound design by Richard Graham, costume design by Rebecca Gardner.)
I think the true message of this play is how important the arts are in our school. The Herdmans are a family in need of help and support (there are comments about welfare and visits from CPS, played for laughs but actually quite sad). Everyone hates and is terrified of these kids, but maybe they just need someone to give them a chance, someone to believe in, to feel a part of a community. That's what participating in the pageant does for them, and it turns out they're not such bad kids after all. They're just kids in need of a little guidance and attention. And I imagine the 18 kids in this production, acting on a professional stage with a rich history, amongst professional actors and creatives, are having a great experience too. Not to mention Park Square's commitment to student matinees, theater camps and classes, and their new "Family Series" that this play is kicking off. Theater provides community, a sense of working together towards a common goal, and engenders empathy towards people we think are different or scary. Our children need more, not less, of that (we grown-ups need it too).
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