Coming on the heels of a successful showing at the Texas Thespian convention, Viking Theatre scored big again with the success of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, performed on December 5 and 6 in the Blue Auditorium.
The play details the Bradley family and how Grace, the mother, is producing that year’s Christmas pageant at their church. Everything is destined to go wrong as the local troublemakers, the Herdman kids, decide that they are going to be in the play. The Herdmans terrorize the other children during practice and everyone in the church believes this show will be a disaster, but everyone comes together in the end and performs the best Christmas pageant the church has seen.
This popular show offers lots of comic relief, such as when Gladys, played by sophomore Kaylee Gough, pretends to be the Black Knight and scares the children when she is supposed to be playing the Angel who tells Mary that her son is Jesus. The show is jam packed with funny lines and chaotic scenes, but it ultimately offers the true story of Christmas and the importance of unity within a community.
Senior Sara Brittain and junior Haven Pottinger did a fantastic job portraying the parents and their dynamics onstage were hilarious. Sara also did a phenomenal job of delivering the Christian morals that her character holds, which was exemplified when everyone told her to turn her back on the Herdmans. She refused, as she said Jesus is available to everyone and no one should be given up on.
Each actor who played a Herdman child found their inner delinquent and truly became their character. Throughout the play, I had to remind myself that they were not actually siblings and that this show was just that – a play. Each actor did a great job of pulling the audience in and making them believe that havok was unfolding.
Another aspect of this show that was great to experience was seeing students from each elementary and middle school campus in Bryan ISD in the production. BISD makes an effort to bring everyone in the district together and this show unified students and families from all over Bryan. I could tell from the audience that these children looked up to the high school students in the play and were enjoying every minute of the performance. Hopefully, the unity will spread into other departments in Bryan ISD and take the “Be the One” motto to the next level.
Viking Theatre has done remarkable things this year and I expect greater things to come. Be sure to check out their next event, the Crosstown Showdown Improv Throwdown on December 13 at 7 pm at A&M Consolidated High School.