Cape theaters produce a rowdy pageant and a sweet saga with secrets galore

Want to give yourself a gift in the midst of all your holiday shopping? Cape stages offer a glimpse into the beauty ― and occasional stresses ― of the season.

Kids shine in 'best pageant ever'

The show: "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” written by Barbara Robinson, directed by DJ Kostka, presented by Academy of Performing Arts.

What it's about: When you think of children’s Christmas pageants, you think of stages filled with sweet little angels, shepherds quietly tending their sheep, the three kings with cardboard crowns dutifully trekking toward the babe in the manger, and of course Mary and Joseph silently and lovingly standing guard over the newborn. Well forget about that! This spoof of the tried and true (some would say stale) pageants of the past stands the old model on its head, and the result is a fresh and adorable look at kids, Christmas and the transformative impact of setting foot on a stage.

At the outset, we learn from Beth Bradley (Mia Nadeau), who serves as a narrator of sorts throughout, that the local church has always staged a sweet little Christmas pageant. But this year, the pageant is usurped by “the worst kids in the world,” the Herdmans. She announces that the infamous youngsters go about town “stealing things and smoking cigars … even the girls! Once they even wrote dirty words on turtles’ shells and let them loose around town,” she exclaims.

Cut to the Bradleys’ kitchen, where Beth joins mom, Grace (Denise Page); dad, Bob (Mark Roderick); and brother, Charlie (Charlie Hawk) in a discussion of the upcoming pageant. Dad is trying to weasel his way out of going to the same-old-same-old stage show, until Mom gets roped into directing after the usual director and town busybody, Mrs. Armstrong (Fran Kostka) is injured. One piece of advice the old biddy has for the new director is “make sure you get a nice quiet baby — not just any baby — for the show. In fact, you’d better get two.”

The six Herdmans invade the meeting Grace holds to cast the show, and that, of course, is where the fun begins. The eldest Herdman, Imogene (Calla Pearson), decides to take the role of Mary, but only after a critique of the nativity story after hearing it for the first time. She calls the story of the two refugees escaping the terror of the evil King Herod “something out of the FBI files.” And when she heard about Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, she said, “You mean they tied him up and put him in a feed box? Where was child welfare?”

Highlights of the show: The kids are, of course, the highlights of the show. Pearson, for example, is suitably satirical as Imogene. At one point, she declares she wouldn’t have let “some angel” tell her what to name her baby. “I would have named him Bill,” she says. Gabby Castro is a riot as the younger Gladys Herdman, who takes on the role of the Angel of God in the pageant. At every opportunity, she shouts, “Hey! Unto you a child is born!” Hawk is especially sweet and lovable as Charlie Bradley, and Nadeau is remarkably poised delivering a multitude of lines as his sister and the narrator. Then there are the precious little Baby Angels (Mallory Roderick, Niamh Davis, Grace Chapman and Teddy Olean). Outfitted with sparkly little wings, they steal your heart away.

Go or No Go: Go for the sheer fun of seeing a different take on Christmas pageants. And the kids will love seeing a show brimming with other youngsters.

Worth noting: At the risk of being a spoiler: In the end, the show is about the transformative effect of setting foot on a stage and being part of something bigger than yourself.

One more thing: Cape theaters are often graced by the presence of young people onstage, and it’s always pure joy to see.

If you go: 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through December 17, 2 p.m. Sundays through December 18. Academy of Performing Arts, Academy Playhouse, 120 Main St., Orleans, $30 adults, $20 under age 16, 508-202-1952, www.academyplayhouse.org

Sue Mellen

Love is a miracle that transcends long-held secrets

The show: "Miracle on South Division Street," written by Tom Dudzick, directed by Tony Ferreira Jr., presented by the Watermelon Alligator Theatre Company in Cotuit Center for the Arts' black box theater.

What it's about: Set in a working class kitchen in 1950s Buffalo, N.Y., "Miracle on South Division Street" is about the Nowak family, who achieved local notoriety after their patriarch saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in his barbershop and built a 20-foot statue to commemorate the event and give people a place to visit and pray. Some jarring news delivered on Christmas Eve leaves the family ― and the audience ― examining who this ultra-Catholic-Polish family is and how that can change in the time it takes to boil a pierogi.

Highlights of the show: The ensemble cast ― son, Jimmy (Garrett Olson); mom, Clara (Stephanie Clark); and sisters Ruth (Jess Wilson) and Beverly (Victoria Smith) are uniformly wonderful, especially in creating their own world in this tiny theater where they are barely five feet away from the front row of audience members. There is not one false note as the story of this loving, elbows-on-the-table family unfolds.

Highlights of the show: One thing that makes the Nowak family's story so believable is that they can't stop interrupting each other in day-to-day conversation. Ruth is trying to break some important news, but her siblings have to empathize with their own experiences, and before you know it, Ruth has totally lost their attention.

Go or No Go: Definitely go. The warmth and self-discovery may have you holding up some of your own relationships to the light for a closer look. But, shhh... don't tell anybody about Act II. The revelation of long-held secrets is a secret worth keeping.

Worth noting: Author Tom Dudzick writes that "Miracle on South Division Street" is a true story based on local lore from where he was raised. The only thing better than seeing the play might be meeting that family! Watching the Nowak family with their shrine in the backyard is like a time-travel trip to the 1950s. And the Black Box production mentions "The Sound of Music," which happened to be playing simultaneously next door at Cotuit Center for the Arts' main stage.

One more thing: In publicity materials, Watermelon Alligator Theatre Company says members would like this play to become a Christmas tradition (there is a Christmas edition of the play available). While that is fine, this warm, emotionally complex story is a gift ― whether it's wrapped in garland or not.

If you go: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, $25, in the Morton and Vivian Sigel Black Box Theater, 4404 Falmouth Road (Route 28), Cotuit, 508-428-0669, www.artsonthecape.org

Gwenn Friss

'Symphony' is ode to Charles Coe's work

The show: "A Symphony of Crickets,” based on the poetry of Charles Coe, conceived by Coe, Mark van Bork and Ken Field, presented by Cape Rep Theatre.

What it's about: This is a blend of the colorful and stirring work of African American poet/musician Charles Coe and a wide-ranging list of musical selections that serve as the perfect accents for his work. The varied song list includes selections from just about every musical genre in the American experience, including jazz, funk, R&B and delta blues, with a touch of classical thrown in just for good measure.

Coe stands front-and-center on a stage devoid of embellishment, except for the six performers/musicians themselves, their mics and instruments. The stark nature of the set works to focus attention on what really matters — the woven fabric of poetry and music. (Is there anything better than walking into a theater and seeing a bass, sax, guitar and drum set just waiting for musicians to pick them up and set them to work?)

The band is made up of Coe and familiar Cape songstress Darlene Van Alstyne on vocals, songwriter and guitarist Mark van Bork, composer and saxophonist/flautist Ken Field, Boston-based drummer Phil Neighbors and bassist Blake Newman. Together, they seamlessly integrate music and poetry, proving once again that music and poetry are the perfect companions.

Highlights of the show: The integration of Coe’s poetry and soulful music creates a unique experience from the very beginning. For example, his recitation of “Black and Gold Blues” is accompanied by the bluesy sound of the sax and bass in the background. This is the perfect companion to lines like: “Oh Lord forgive me my sins” and “Tell that gal of mine I said goodbye.” (There is nothing more soulful than the sound of a bass and sax melding together.)

The poet spins a tale about a “cheap seersucker suit” he had as a child that made a sound like “a symphony of crickets” when he moved. In the background, bassist Newman plucks at his instrument's strings, replicating the sound.

It’s also a simple pleasure to hear Alstyne deliver flawless versions of classics like “My Foolish Heart” and “Let It Be.”

Go or No Go: Go for the adrenaline rush the unique combo of inspiring poetry and great music delivers. The rush was especially apparent when the whole audience stood up and swayed and clapped in time with the number “Get Up!” The show is only on tap until December 11, but it’s a good bet it will be back “by popular demand.” This run is a reprise of one this past summer.

Worth noting: While the set is ultra-stark, striking lighting effects, thanks to lighting designer Susan Nicholson, are quite dramatic.

One more thing: After an evening in the presence of great jazz and blues, you may long to sample more of the great music Cape venues have to offer.

Sue Mellen

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Kids shine in 'Best Pageant'; 'Miracle' family confronts secrets