By Hanna Perry, Contributing Writer

On Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, I had the opportunity to see the play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which was performed by the West Liberty University’s Hilltop Players. Instead of just having one cast perform the production, audiences had the opportunity to see two different casts perform it.

I really enjoyed every aspect of the play, and the show shared a very important message with the audiences who got the opportunity to see the play. At the end of the play, I was amazed by how amazing the production was as a whole. I could tell that the cast had a lot of fun when they were performing. A lesson that the show taught me was that you should never judge a person without getting to know them.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever followed the story of a small town’s Christmas pageant, that ends up being more than what the town bargained for when the Herdman children decides to join the cast. At first, the whole town is in an uproar because the Herdman children are known for being misbehaving constantly. However, in the end, the town ends up adoring them because instead of the Christmas pageant turning into the worst pageant ever, it turned into, fittingly titled, the best Christmas pageant ever.

My favorite part of the entire show is when Imogene Herdman, played by Callie Carroll in the production I saw, is holding Baby Jesus and she ends up crying because at that moment she realized what the true meaning of Christmas is.

After the play ended, I was awestruck by how real the play seemed. I think the message the play shared with the audiences will be remembered for generations to come; because not only was the play a great success, it also left a heartfelt message with the audiences who saw it.

The message it left for me was that Christmas is a time when people should find kindness within their hearts no matter what time of the year it is.

If I ever got the chance to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever again, I would definitely see it. The production was very heartwarming to watch such a wonderful story come to life on the stage, and it was a magical experience that I had the opportunity to enjoy.

Be sure to stay tuned and see the Hilltop Player’s next production, which will be 18 Victoria. That play will run from Feb. 22-23 at 7:30 p.m., March 1-3 at 7:30 p.m. and then again on March 4 at 3 p.m.

Original artwork by Mimi Albon