December 23, 2009

Christmas pageant gets new telling

By John Gleason

Every December, just before the children are dismissed for Christmas vacation, the student body of Most Precious Blood School takes part in the annual rite known as the Christmas pageant.  This year, the show took on an updated, yet still respectful tone as the youngsters performed an original work written by the parish’s pastor, Father Patrick Dolan.

Called “Birth of a Story: A Scripture Scholar’s Christmas” the show, which boasts a Broadway feel and features 10 original songs, is about getting a second chance.  The students held two performances for family and friends on Dec. 17.
“The storyline is that the Archangel Gabriel brings St. Mark back to life to give him a chance to write a Christmas story,” Father Dolan told the Denver Catholic Register.  “Mark is the only one who didn’t include a Nativity story in his Gospel.  Then, in a very Charles Dickens-like fashion, Gabriel brings back the other three evangelists to teach him how to write one.”

The imaginative production encourages the viewer to ponder the Nativity and the message it has for this day and age.

“’Birth of a Story’ is both entertaining and scripturally deep,” said school music director Barbara Garrett.  “It touches you.”

The play incorporates lighthearted teasing of the Archangel Gabriel, silly spoofs on modern culture and scripturally enlightening dialogue.

The first evangelist Mark encounters is St. Matthew, who arrives out of nowhere in a puff of smoke.  He looks around, shakes his head and says, “Oy vey, how’d I get here?”

Matt, as he is called, tells Mark that for any Gospel story, one must include what’s important, advising that history and prophecy are needed in order to make the story work.  Next comes St. Luke, a good-natured bon vivant who sports a matching beret and vest.  Luke is less concerned about clouding the story with lots of facts and tells Mark that in order for the story to work, he has to keep in mind the over-all image. He tells Mark he should be concerned with writing a beautiful story because there is enough ugliness in the world.

Finally, St. John appears complete with full beard and shepherd’s staff, looking a lot like Charleton Heston at the conclusion of “The Ten Command-ments.”  He walks up to Mark, pats him on the shoulder and says his Gospel is just fine.
“But not as good as mine,” he adds with a smile.

“Birth of a Story” was directed by Steve Lavezza, a member of the church choir and Barbara Garrett, Music Director at the school. The entire school, from Kindergarten through eighth grade, was involved in the production.

Since the end of October, the students rehearsed the songs. Those portraying the archangel and evangelists studied their parts for three weeks.  It was a lot of work, according to Principal Colleen McManamon, and the payoff was in the students’ charming production.

“We’re very proud of them,” she told the Register.  “Everyone has put so much effort into this performance.”

At the show’s conclusion, after Matthew, Luke and John have all weighed in on what this new Christmas story should have in it Mark has second thoughts and decides it isn’t necessary and that he won’t write one after all.

“I think that God wants each of us to write the story ourselves,” he tells his compatriots, “and through that story, come to understand how he dwells inside each of us.”