Review: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Describing the Des Moines Playhouse’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever as ordinary is a compliment. Every year Christmas pageants are staged in real life, just as in the play. Every year pageants follow the same structure with the same adults managing them. Every year, the same young people within an age group are cast in the same roles. Every year, something new is tossed into the mix but in the end all turns out right. The message of the play is that even when circumstances reach their most destructive points, it may just be the miracle of Christmas correcting what was wrong.. The audience leaves the theatre feeling as though everything is as it should be.

This is the seventeenth year for the play in Des Moines but the first production that I saw. Kathy Pingel has done a fine job directing. On December 7th, the action moved quickly and smoothly even with a large cast of young performers. I particularly appreciated the coordination when phone lines were burning faster than applesauce cake. Brandon Lee repeats his service as assistant director.

Much of this year’s cast is new to the Playhouse. An exception is Logan Ely who has acted in earlier performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and was confident and at ease in her role as Beth Bradley, the play’s narrator. Sydney Pierick who is one of the new Playhouse performers alternates the role with Ely. The entire cast gave consistently good performances both when acting and when singing. A few of the actors need to work on their vocal projections and a few words were flubbed, but these were little bumps.

The audience clapped appreciatively for the actors portraying the Herdmans. Sierra Renée Perkins as Imogene gave a strong performance. Jessica Lambert as Gladys, the youngest Herdman, was one of the actors needing better control of her voice but the power of her body language helped to offset the spoken words that were less than clear. Perkins and Lambert alternate performances with Madeline Palmer-Chase and with Amy J. Flavell. The remaining four of the lying, stealing, and cigar-smoking Herdmans are played by Jimmy Ogburn (Ralph), Aaron Primrose (Leroy), Samuel Amadeo (Claude), and Anthony Caligiuri (Ollie).

Kevin Shelby’s scene designs helped create the proper moods. The atmosphere is set before opening curtain with holiday lights and continues as wreaths are lowered over the main stage in preparation for the pageant within the play.

The audience on opening night was noticeably older rather than younger, but this is a play all ages, 5 years and up, can enjoy. The play runs through December 23rd at 831 42nd Street. Tickets are $12-$15. The phone number is (515) 277.6261.

The playbook lists the names of people who volunteer with the Playhouse in various capacities. Since this is the time of year to acknowledge the efforts of all those people who have given us joy throughout the year, it is only appropriate to thank these men and women.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.