RSA performance renews Christmas hope
By Laureen F. Guenther Times Contributor
Photo Courtesy of Kelsey Krogman
The performance features Rosebud School of the Arts (RSA) students, and children and adults from the community.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, based on the children’s novel by Barbara Robinson, centres on the Herdmans, six unruly and unwelcome siblings who are the torment of the town. As one of the other characters says, “They lie, they steal, and they smoke cigars – even the girls!”
The Herdman children seem to have no parental supervision, but they do have a nose for finding food. When they discover that snacks are always served in Sunday School, they appear in Sunday School the very next Sunday – the day roles are being handed out for the annual Christmas pageant.
After the Herdmans discover what’s going on and they announce which parts they intend to play, the rest of the Sunday school children are afraid to volunteer.
So, the Herdmans win all the starring roles. And this year’s pageant is headed for certain disaster.
But when the Herdmans hear the Christmas story for the first time, we witness a Christmas miracle. The worst pageant ever becomes the best it’s ever been.
I laughed all through this play, at Maki Van Dyke’s performance as a gossiping church lady, the protests of the dad (Caleb Gordon) who wants to stay home in his bathrobe rather than go to the pageant to see his son wear the bathrobe as a shepherd, and of course the Herdmans’ constantly disastrous behaviour.
But the play provoked some surprising responses in me too. When Imogene Herdman, a child who’s never known love (played by Holly Langmead), tenderly kisses the baby Jesus doll, I shed a tear or two.
And Gladys Herdman (played by Rachel Franson) is the angel enthusiastically repeating, “Hey! Unto you a child is born!” my heart was warmed. I felt comforted that this baby, who came for the shepherds and wise men so long ago, also came to bring love to the unloved Herdman kids of our day. And I felt renewed hope that he still offers peace and joy for the rest of our troubled world too.
If your Christmas season is already feeling more stressful than joyful, and you need a new dose of Christmas peace, I hope you’ll go and see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It may be the highlight of your season.
The play runs until Dec. 22 on the BMO Studio Stage. Get tickets at rosebudtheatre.com or 1-800-267-7553.