The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a play about one mother’s tough journey of putting on the local church’s christmas pageant while the original director is laid up in the hospital. This daunting task is only made worse (or funnier, for the audience) by the Herdman family. The seven kids of the Herdman family are the rowdiest and most mischievous in all the town.

Despite continuing the trend of a holiday themed play, this play in particular was quite different. As opposed to recent shows the characters of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever were not the typical “country hick” stereotype. These characters were much deeper and more developed than those from previous plays.

Going into the auditorium, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t quite know how a play about a Christmas pageant could be funny. I think it’s safe to say I was shocked when I found myself crying tears of laughter at several different times throughout the show. Between the wisecracks from Beth Bradley, played by junior Olivia Valley, and the multiple fights that broke out among the Herdman kids, I couldn’t stop laughing.

As for the set I must say I was not amazed. The giant Christmas trees made of green tule were a nice touch, however they made scene changes somewhat confusing for the audience.

The absolute best part of the whole experience was seeing the wide array of costumes worn by the cast. From ripped jeans and flannels to gospel choir robes, the costumer, Lisa Johnson, did an amazing job of illustrating the attitude change of the Herdman kids as the play progressed.

Overall, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever exceeded my expectations, which were admittedly low. However, the cast and crew did an amazing job with what they had.