Review by Jennifer Mustoe, Front Row Reviewers
I didn’t expect to have such a range of emotions with PG Players’ The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, but the holiday spirit rained down on me and I went from laughing to quietly sniffling, narrowly avoiding ugly crying. How’s that for some holiday spirit?
I was familiar with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever‘s storyline, but have never seen the show. PG Players does a fine job. The story is this: a small town parish stages a Christmas pageant every year. By all accounts, it is boring, using the same kids in the same roles. It may be that some in the congregation don’t even attend, even though their children are in the show. Spencer Hansen plays Father, who in years past has bailed on the show until his wife, Mother (Brenna Brown) is “invited” to direct. The usual director, who is clearly in charge, has been injured. Mother as the new, wary, and inexperienced director shows her spunk and nails her new job with fervor and fun. At one point she yells, “This is going to be the BEST Christmas pageant ever!” and you better believe we believe it. Mostly.
Enter the Herdman kids, Imogene (Julianne Barney), Ralph (Dawson Hansen), Claude (Grant Fugal), Leroy (Ty Nuttall), Ollie (Colm Baxter), and Gladys (Alice Barratt). These kids scare everyone and are particularly threatening to the kids in the town. These six kids have the biggest roles in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and it is these six that bring most of the fun and all of the gulpy, sniffly feels. These actors stand out as they navigate the shame of being the “bad” kids in town, trying to understand the Christmas story they’re supposed to perform. Spoiler alert–these kids are not familiar with the Biblical account, which I think to our Utah Valley inhabitants is probably unheard of. Yet, as the Herdmans become familiar with the story, and stop their mocking, rough rewriting of the story, the true meaning of Christmas and the message of the miracle of the Savior’s birth is shown in the most impressive yet touching way.
I’ve known kids like the Herdmans. It’s not easy pretending that your life is easy and normal when CPS shows up all the time to check on your family. This may have been the most tender aspect of the show for me. I also find the name Herdman to be indicative of who they are–a herd unto themselves where intimidation keeps them “safe” around other folks in the town.
And the cast of 150 children! Wait, there are “only” 29 kids in the show. That’s a lot of kiddos to wrassle during the rehearsal process. But every single young actor does so well. They were all in character, all engaged, and surprisingly not wiggly. Directors Kathryn Little and Howard Little had their hands full and did a fantastic job. All those little angels, and baby angels (and they are so cute!), the shepherds, and the Wise Men (that season played by three Herdman boys, to everyone’s dismay.) There’s also a Narrator. I admired her cautious enthusiasm regarding the turn of events with the addition of the pageant’s newest cast members and her wonderful calm as she shares the Biblical account.
The Littles also commandeered the technical aspects of the show–sound, lighting design, set by H. Little and Tina Fortana. The set, as always with PG Players is wonderful, the backdrop showing a combination of home, church, and the Bethlehem landscape and the shining Star. The risers on stage right provide some comic bits. Costumes by Fortana paint a lovely picture to support the actors–sheets for the angels, bathrobes and towels for the shepherds, super cute frocks for the four busy bodies, I mean parish ladies.
Colette Stringham who plays Alice and usually was cast as Mary many times in years past and was sure she’d get the part is as snobby and bratty as required when she is too afraid to try for the role this time. She tosses her head and you can almost hear her sniff at the Herdmans. Four snooty women from the congregation make a few appearances (Carissa Brinkerhoff, Tanika Larsen, Kristy Nuttall, Sheri Stringham), as does Reverend Hopkins (Taylor Densley) His wife in real life, Roseanna Densley, plays Mrs. Hopkins and is also the pianist. These players provide comic relief but pretty believable if you’ve BTDT. I’ve been there. I’ve done that. Have you?
The Best Christmas Pageant runs for a little over an hour and has no intermission. The space is a lovely, smallish theater in the basement of the Pleasant Grove Library. And for this show, every seat has been taken. Because I loved this production, I highly recommend you call (801) 613-0473 and see if there are some cancellations, even if you have to sit separately from your group. The audience is one big happy family anyway.
I loved the camaraderie of everyone involved in this show, including the kind people who work behind the scenes at the ticket booth and the sound board. I met them all. PG Players is what we want to see in a quality community theater, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is all we’d like to see in a quality community theater production.
PG Players presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.
Keith Christeson Theater, 30 East Center Street, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062 (Basement of Pleasant Grove Library)
December 1–11, 2023
Get your tickets by calling us at 801-400-1797 or online at pgplayers.com
Pleasant Grove Players Facebook Page
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