Locals prepare holiday show

A cast of 28 local actors and a crew of nine are preparing for the best Christmas pageant ever. It says so in the name of the production, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical.”

The musical will be presented at three events throughout the county in December and is being coordinated by Rob Viens of Thompson Falls, the Stage and Musical Director.

“My first experience with the play was in 1992 and everybody fell in love with it,” Viens said.

The play is based on the book by Barbara Robinson, from which she created a stage version. “The stage play very quickly became a classic seasonal favorite,” Viens expressed.

The play follows the six Herdman children as they bully their way into lead roles of a Christmas pageant in 1970s rural Ohio. The children end up teaching the townspeople the true meaning of Christmas in the musical that is filled with shenanigans and heart-warming moments that will have spectators laughing and crying, Viens said.

Deedee Susic of Thompson Falls plays the lead character, Grace Bradley, who has to deal with the fallout of the mischievous cast. Joel Schrock was cast to play Grace’s husband Bob, and Viens said both actors are doing a fantastic job. “Deedee has been to nearly every rehearsal, as her four older children are also in the production,” Viens added.

The musical boasts multiple families with multiple cast members. Along with the Susic family, Sarah Harmon was cast with her two children Logan and Shelby, and her husband Trent is working on sound and lighting for the play.

Lindsey Franklin and her daughter Ande Kate are cast members, as are Whitney Bartlett and her daughter Leah, Sara Czerwinski and daughter Annie, Danny Moore and his daughter Elora, Lisa Mickelson and son Mason, and Pastor Jacob Berger of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church is acting along with his children Ida and Daniel. Auditions were held at the beginning of September, and most of the cast has been rehearsing twice a week since then.

“There are great production numbers for the whole cast and especially the kids,” Viens said of the musical. “It’s message is that it’s so easy to judge somebody, especially when they’re being a bully. Until you get to know them, you might not know why they are doing what they are doing. Grace and her kids realize they have judged the Herdman kids incorrectly. The kids really need to be loved and guided and not locked up in a citizen’s arrest.” Viens added that it also tells the story of Christmas in a new way. He said the set is minimalist because it’s a traveling crew. The musical will be performed Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. at the Lakeside in Trout Creek, as well as Saturday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m. at the Paradise Center and Sunday, Dec. 15, 2 p.m. at the Rex Theater in Thompson Falls.

Advance tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students. Adult tickets are $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Lakeside in Trout Creek for that show, or at M&M Liquor in Thompson Falls, Garden Gift and Floral in Plains or First Security Bank in Thompson Falls and Plains for all three shows.