THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER Returns to Seattle Public Theater, 12/6-24

Seattle Public Theater (SPT) cautiously welcomes back the horrible Herdman family for another assault on our seasonal sensibilities in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the historic Bathhouse Theater on Green Lake.

To everyone's shock and awe, the Herdman kids hijack the annual church Christmas Pageant. Chaos escalates as the festivities are turned upside down and the kids ultimately challenge everyone's traditional notions of Christmas. For young and old alike, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has become a holiday family tradition at SPT and is not to be missed.

"Each and every year I return to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with fresh eyes and an open heart thanks to the infusion of new blood into the mix of cast, crew, and audience," says director Shana Bestock. "Tradition is a wonderful stage on which to dance, but over the years this play has become not just about tradition, but about the future. Every summer I look at the kids growing up within our Youth Program, who await their chance to grow into the roles in this play. Each fall I am delighted with the talent, drive, and energy of all the young artists who come out for auditions and I'm so fortunate to get to see the future of our city in such an up close and personal way."

This year's cast features the acting talents of Allison Strickland (The Walworth Farce, NCTC), Kathy Hsieh (Picnic, ReAct), Alysha Curry (Henry VIII, Greenstage), Steven Sterne, Srija Chattopadhyay, Samuel Trott, Olivia Sterne, Noah J. Rose, Laura Rude, Jake Gordon, Izabel Mar, Frank Garland, Emma Blessing, Chloe Swedberg, Charlie Tadlock, Anna Klein, Aliza Cosgrove, Aaron Sterne, Aaliyah Soukup-Stone and Zoe Poole as the infamous Gladys Herdman.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever previews December 5th, and performances run December 6th to 24TH, 2013. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (206) 524-1300 or online at www.seattlepublictheater.org.

If you prefer your holiday punch spiked with a pinch of the sardonic and several drams of wit, consider adding tickets to David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries, starring Patrick Lennon and directed by SPT Artistic Associate Kelly Kitchens, to your holiday wish list. Sedaris' acerbic diary of his internment as a Macy's elf previews December 5th, and runs 6th to 24th. The Santaland Diaries is not appropriate for younger elves.

To post a comment, you must register and login.