Clio Cast and Crew, Inc Present The Only Christmas Pageant in Town

 

The Only Christmas Pageant in Town - Clio Cast and Crew

By: Laura Anne Miller

‘Tis the season for Christmas songs and Christmas pageants. Clio Cast and Crew, with the direction of Jan Palmer and the Show to Go Singers deliver a solid, family friendly Christmas production, ”The Only Christmas Pageant in Town”.

Olive Green (Nicole Dunckel) directs the church’s Christmas pageant every year. Every year, something seems to be missing and in an effort to change things up and figure out what is missing, Olive hires the Hollywood Theater of Peace and Tidings of Great Joy Traveling Troupe to put on the show this year.  A big snowstorm keeps the Hollywood troupe away and the existing church members get stranded at the church. They decide to put on the Christmas pageant instead, including the pastor, Reverend Holly (Bill Fagerstrom), and the church board, and women’s auxiliary. 

Seeking shelter from the storm, Allen (Tom McCarty), Fred (Malachi Kittell), and George (Aaron Coleman) Wiseman join the assemblage of people as well.  A young couple, Maria (Evalyn Seaton) and Joe (Liam Robinson) also seek shelter with their baby. A “Yooper” Polka band (Bob Ashley, Peter Verhaeghe, Dennis Wiltfong, Shane Wachowicz, and Andrew Teel) rounds out the eclectic group stuck at this church, trying to help put on this Christmas pageant. 

Ultimately, everyone works together to put on the perfect Christmas pageant centered on the true meaning of Christmas, which is what Olive realizes has been missing all this time. Woven throughout the play were traditional holiday songs and some new songs sung by the Show to Go Singers and children and teen choirs.

The story itself is cute and wholesome while delivering the true “reason for the season” message that is seen in a lot of Christmas pageants this time of year. 

The stage was fairly simple and made to look like the front of the church. A cross flanked by two “stained glass” windows is at the back of the set with risers for the choir below made to look like a choir loft. The simplicity of the set allowed the talent of the actors and singers to shine instead of overwhelming them. However, when all members of the choirs were onstage, it seemed a little crowded and busy.

During the show, a young couple and their baby come into the church. The idea was that the young couple, Joe and Maria, were supposed to mimic Joseph and Mary and that was great, but something was a little off.  Perhaps it was because the teens in these roles appeared to be very young teens. There was intention behind this, but it didn’t translate as well in the current production.  

At one point, Miss Berry (Yvonne McCarty) and Santa (Himself) put together a manger during one of the songs. The sounds of the manger being built overwhelmed the actual song at times and went on longer than seemingly necessary. 

The choirs did a beautiful job with the songs, though at times the music felt a little misplaced as if it were added into the play later on. As always, the numbers with the young ones were fun and entertaining. They bring a whole new level of energy to the show. 

The children and teen choirs did a great job with their numbers. The adult numbers were entertaining as well, especially the Yooper Polka Band. However, sometimes it was a little hard to hear some of the people singing. The song “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” was one song that was done particularly well and was a favorite among the songs in this production.

Jerry Needham, who played Chuck Morris, was especially memorable in his role and really embraced his character. The flirting and banter between his character and real life wife, Charlotte Needham(who played Merrie Blossom), was especially charming and adorable. 

Other stand outs were Elizabeth Castellas and Nicole Dunckel, who did an outstanding job playing Olive Green. Several children and teen duets stood out, including the ones on “Bring on the Snow!” (Brooklyn Burton/Mason Gilliam, Alana Butler/Jasmine Butler).

Opening night can be particularly nerve wracking, and this night was no exception. There were some lines that were obviously forgotten and stiff actors and some blocking that did not allow for natural flow among characters and their dialogue for some scenes. Some choreography seemed to be a little off at times. 

On this opening night, there was an incident with one of the singers early on in the show. This is by no means a fault, but it did make for a bit of an awkward fumbling moment while the issue was being handled and other actors were transitioning onto the stage and did not know how to proceed. 

The Show to Go singers are traditionally very supportive of the military and will do something to honor them in their Christmas shows. This year, they did a beautiful job adding this moment into their production. The cast sang “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” while a Marine was writing a letter home. It was a particularly touching moment and a wonderful tribute to our active military and veterans and their families. 

Was this show worth seeing? Definitely. This is a nice, family friendly holiday show with a good message. The music was great and full of holiday spirit. The only real issue is that this show starts at 7:30 PM on most nights. This could make it a late night, especially for families with children who need to get up for school the next morning. There is a 2:30 PM matinee offered on both Saturday, December 13, and Sunday, December 14. Unfortunately, tickets sell out for this show quickly and last minute ticket purchases may not be an option.

Tickets appeared to be sold out for this show online, but give the box office a call 810-687-2588 to see if there is any availability. Visit the Clio Cast and Crew Facebook page, or visit their website at cliocastandcrew.com to keep up to date on upcoming events, shows, and auditions.