Crowds turn out for 'Christmas Pageant'

The Acting Company's current production of the perennial favorite "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" appears to be doing well.

I say "appears to be" since plays loaded with children — there are 24 kids in this 32-member cast — one can never be sure whether the people in the audience are there because they wanted to see the play, or because they have to be there because they have a relative in the cast.

Either way, they benefited because this production, co-directed by Brian Aronson and Debbie Collier, is a good one. Several of the cast members show promise for future roles.

Basically, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" is the one-act, one-hour story of a mother, Grace Bradley (played by Cristina Louk) who is drafted at the last minute into directing a church's annual Christmas pageant revolving around the birth of Christ.

The woman who has always directed it has broken her leg and is ailing.

The second twist in the plot comes when the most unruly and feared kids in town — the Herdmans — learn that free food is provided to the Christmas pageant cast and they descend on the show demanding parts.

The story is narrated by Beth Bradley (Mary Navarro), daughter of the drafted director.

Both Louk and Navarro do a fine job with their roles. As do Damien Stranix and Kevin Williams who play, respectively, the little brother and father in the Bradley family.

The gang of six Herdmans is led by oldest sister Imogene (played by Caitlin Mallory), who undergoes the most visible transformation as the spirit of Christmas and the birth of Christ dawn on her.

Among the many Herdmans, the stand-out performers are Gladys (played by Darien Torrison) and Ollie (played by Elias Saracco).

It's not that the other players are not as good, it is just these are the ones with the best lines and they are wise enough to make the most of it. Torrison, in particular, seems to be having the most fun in her role.

Yuba County Superior Court Judge Debra Givens has a small role as Mrs. Clark, who mainly talks on the telephone, and she does it well.

Co-director Aronson also happens to be a judge of the Sutter County Superior Court. As a longtime reporter of trials myself, it was amusing to imagine the ironies of one judge trying to tell another judge how to act and what to do.

Even if you don't have a child or grandchild in this play, this production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" is well worth seeing, if only for the skill and cooperation the directors and the cast display in staging such a large production in relatively small theater.

It continues through Dec. 21 at The Acting Company, located at 815 B St., Yuba City.

Shows are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $15 with some discounts available.

The show I attended was packed, so be sure to make reservations and buy tickets in advance by calling 751-1100 or going online at www.actingcompany.org.

Award-winning journalist and author Tom Nadeau has written for and acted on stage, screen, radio and television. Write to him at theaterland@gmail.com.