Greetings and Salutations!
On this Friday, along with a surprisingly large collection of extended family members, I attended a performance of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, presented by the Cumberland County Playhouse. It was part of the general cycle of Thanksgiving events that my extended family runs through pretty much every year. The play is a typical Cumberland County Playhouse production, involving many amateurs from the area, some professional actors, and a simple but well-done set and lighting. The basic story line is about a staid and conventional church that is disrupted when a family of “bad” kids comes in and decides to take part in the Christmas play. This turn of events is precipitated by the woman who has controlled things forever breaking her leg and others having to take over. Of course, the kids, considered to be “bad seed” because they are disruptive, troublemaking, white trash, learn the Christmas story (having never heard it before), get into the play, and are changed for the better, and, the church sees that they have a good side that has been hidden by the prejudices of those looking at them. It is an unabashedly “Feel Good” production, and, works fairly well, although it is predictable. I was sitting next to my nephew, Danny, and, caused him some amusement by some smart-ass remarks I made during the production. Having spent a fair amount of time in the youth program at First Lutheran, as well as helping run, or taking part in the annual Christmas Pageants, it did bring back a LOT of memories. I was pleased to see that, while they attempted to repress it, the infamous “Mary Crabtree Sway” proved to be too strong to be eliminated and so showed up by the SECOND number of the production. it also managed to sneak back in several more times during the production. Talk about enduring traditions! It is both a pleasure and an amusement to see and, again, is one of those nostalgic traditions that is a great “in joke” for those of us who were a part of the founding and early years of the Playhouse’s existence.
I will say that I strongly recommend this play, and, almost any other production by the Playhouse as an excellent evening out and a great bargain. The productions have never been the most slick in the world, but, I cannot think of a single one that I have been to over the years where it has not been clear that the cast and crew were having a ball. That enthusiasm always communicates itself to the audience and adds to the enjoyment of the evening. Having said that, too, I want to point out that this does not mean that CCP productions are a joke! The cast and crew spend many hours rehearsing and honing their performance to a point that there are few or no bobbles or trip-ups that break the mood. The sets, although spare, are artistic and well done, bringing an abstract realism to the stage that helps focus the attention on the storyline, and, not the sets. If you are within reasonable driving distance of the Playhouse, or are going to be in the area, visit their website, and give one of their productions a try. I can assure you that you will be pleasantly surprised!
In the spirit of full disclosure, the fact that I have a grand-niece in the play does not materially influence my opinions about the play or the Playhouse. My family DID have season tickets starting shortly after the theatre was built (when it was hardly more than a barn), and kept them for 25 years or so before, alas, changes in reality took me away from it.
Pleasant Dreams
BeeManDave