A Christmas TOY

Theatre of Youth's production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" concludes this weekend at the Allendale Theatre, 203 Allen St., Buffalo.

Theatre of Youth wraps up "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" this weekend.

The production, directed by Meg Quinn, is from the play by Barbara Robinson and adapted from her book.

"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" continues at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14; 2 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16. This production is recommended for all ages.

"When Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me" - he did not mean the Herdmans!

The whole town will learn a great lesson in compassion and understanding when Grace Bradley and her husband put on the annual church pageant, despite having to cast the Herdman kids - "probably the meanest, nastiest, most inventively awful kids in the history of the world." They steal lunches, smoke cigars (even the girls) and beat up every kid in town.

The Herdmans arrived for the free snacks, and forced their way into starring roles in the theatrical portrayal of the birth of Jesus. Swaddling clothes are misinterpreted as "wadded up clothes," The Angel Gabriel ad-libs "Shazam!...He's in the barn!" and The Three Wise Men bring the newborn infant a "practical gift" - the Herdman's welfare ham. Mayhem, merriment and the true meaning of Christmas run rampant in this hilarious and heartwarming story.

The cast includes Beth Donahue, Timothy Klein, Kathy Weese, Moira A. Keenan, Kate LoConti, Bill Schmidt and Christopher M. LaBanca.

Twenty six young performers complete the cast: Alyssa Fuoco, Samuel John Militello, Jonathan Young, Kaila-Rose Proulx, Spencer Bacon, Nick Galasso, Joseph Westphal, Samantha Rohloff, Libby Cannon, Heavyn Dreher, Daniel Henderson, Christopher A. Lillis, Jacob Morse, Michael Cosimano White, Henry Wojtasik, Max Wojtasik, Annabel Bacon, Kate Chiavetta, Zoe Diana Chmielewski, Carolyn Kellerman, Alexandra K. Lillis, Addie Marfoglia, Anna Molnar, Tia Lee Piotrowski, Andrea Yonkman and Sasha Shaffer.

Tickets for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" are $19 or $17 per person and can be purchased by calling the Theatre of Youth box office at 884-4400, Ext. 304. Group rates are available.