"My very favorite moment of the show is the last line delivered by Gladys Herdman (played by Margaret McKinney). It is the most important line of the play. Enthusiastically, she points to the audience and says, 'Hey, unto you a child is born!'"
Director Jill Moody-Ledbetter is talking about a modern holiday classic, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," on stage this weekend only at Fort Smith Little Theatre. Adapted from a 1971 young adult book by Barbara Robinson, it's the tale of an annual church event suddenly taken over by the Herdman children -- described as "the most inventively awful kids in history." As the script itself says:
FAQ
‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. today & Saturday
WHERE — Fort Smith Little Theatre, 401 N. Sixth St.
COST — $7; no reserved seating
INFO — 783-2966, fslt.org
"The horrible Herdmans are the rottenest kids
"Just wait until you hear about the things that they did.
"They hit and they steal, and smoke smelly cigars.
"They ought to be arrested and put behind bars.
"There's nothing that those kids won't do
"Nothing they won't do to you
"Don't fight, you're always gonna lose
"They'll find and they'll pound you
"'Til your face is black and blue."
So what are the Herdmans doing at auditions for the church pageant? They heard there would be snacks. And once they're there and decide they want the roles, no one is brave enough to tell them "no."
"In this play, the Christmas story is told, and the Herdman children are hearing it for the first time," explains Moody-Ledbetter. "The true message of Christmas and the effect of understanding the birth of Jesus is very touching. Along with this moving moment in the play, the audience will also experience much laughter. We hope to bring smiles, laughter and deliver a warm story to help begin this holiday season.
"I have wonderful memories of school Christmas pageants," she adds. "As a child, I attended St. Boniface Catholic School for nine years. Every year, we had a Christmas program that we proudly performed for our families. I hope that the young cast members will create fond memories of the current show they can reminisce about in the future."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 12/06/2019