Sunday, December 09, 2018

The Miracle of Bethlehem 2018



Tonight I caught the final performance of this year's presentation of "The Miracle of Bethlehem." It featured a cast of sixty-five (including the tallest version of Jesus I've ever seen), elaborate costumes, lighting, and set design, original music and lyrics, and a variety of animals including a donkey, an alpaca, sheep, chickens, and numerous young goats. It was held at the Saint Faustina Cultural Center, formerly Saint Stanislaus Church.

The venue was packed - overpacked, really, to the point of being standing room only. To see a show of this quality, and a turnout of this magnitude, in a little parish like Saint Faustina in a small city like Nanticoke is really quite impressive. The performance was different from last year, with one song ("This Little Town") and character added, as well as a scene-stealing, apple-munching (and dropping) donkey accompanying Mary and Joseph when they discover there is no room at the inn. (The donkey took a strong liking to me after the performance, ramming his head into my chest repeatedly, possibly so I would scratch his neck - although he may just have been trying to eat my camera bag.)

This was the third consecutive year I saw this play. I'm hoping I get to see it again in coming years.

No comments: