Welcome to SEASON SPOTLIGHT! Here we will take an in-depth look at the shows in the 2017-18 season and give you a little insight into what you can expect in the upcoming season.
December 1-23, 2017
By Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner.
Adapted from the play by Barbara Robinson.
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
There doesn’t appear to be peace on Earth this holiday season, with the hilarious musical spectacle, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, comes to The Rose as the first of its annual premium event offerings.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the story of a church’s annual Christmas play. The sleepy town expects the same production as always — but when the Herdmans, the worst kids in the history of the world — crash Sunday school and demand parts in the Christmas pageant, the whole town panics. After all — there’s no biting in Bethlehem!
“In The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the Herdman kids have never even heard the Christmas story,” says Rose Artistic Director Matthew Gutschick. “But that doesn’t stop them from putting their own spin on the church’s production. This is a show that reminds us that everyone has a story to tell, and they need to tell it in their own way.”
Director Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek has accepted the challenge to calm the Christmas chaos that is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, drawing on his skills leading Twelfth Night at the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival and Annie at the Sumtur Amphitheater.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever explores themes of giving others a chance to prove themselves and challenging assumptions. The show will delight families with children ages five and up. The premium event show runs two hours with an intermission. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will be presented Fridays at 7 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Additional Saturday night performances will be offered on December 2, 9 and 16 at 7 pm. Interpretation for the hearing impaired and audio description services for the blind will be offered at the 2 pm show on Saturday, December 16. Tickets are $27 main floor, $22 balcony. Members receive discounted tickets.