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VPA gives theatergoers a Christmas present"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" is Valley Performing Arts' holiday offering to the community this December. Under the direction of Elizabeth Hanson, this much-loved play breathes new life into an old message. Twenty-nine local children participate in this production, with 10 adults thrown in. Normally, in performances with such a large percentage of children, the play can be lost in the sheer number of kids present. That, however, is not the case in this production. Rather than relegate the more energetic members of the cast to minor roles, where they can be seen and not heard, Hanson masterfully captures their childish energy and then has the children feed it back into their roles. The play centers on the narrator, Beth (Aubrey Sage), telling the audience about what happens when the town bullies, the Herdmans, take over the community Christmas pageant. Sage delivers a wonderful performance that belies her young years as an exasperated and frustrated girl. Lori Zulliger is equally captivating as a mom who has been suckered into doing something she knows nothing about and who is forced to put up with community gossip and chagrin. Jay Jennings, as Zulliger's husband, manages to infuse his role with humor and warmth. One of the biggest highlights of the production is Charlie (Luke Johnson), who plays Beth's annoying younger brother. All of the children playing the six bullying Herdman kids were exceptionally well cast, but Imogene (Rachel Clark) stood out as an amazingly moving and adept young actress. She brought the audience to tears without uttering a single word in a scene where she is alone with a doll representing the baby Jesus. The play was written as a one-act, but VPA enjoys giving spectators an intermission to stretch their legs and so added one to the middle of the show. Even so, the entire performance takes place in about 90 minutes. |
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