Best Christmas Pageant Ever Returns to Mississippi College

Audiences at Mississippi College will see if the zany Herdman kids ever learn the true meaning of Christmas.

The best way to find out is to attend any of the five performances of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” on stage at Swor Auditorium. The shows run from December 1-4 on the Clinton campus.

Communication professor Sandra Grayson returns as director of Barbara Robinson’s adaptation of her hilarious children’s book.

The MC Department of Communication presents this funny show that tells the story of how some of the planet’s most rotten children deal with the Christmas season. The classic production spotlights how a small church gears up for a yuletide pageant despite some major challenges. Lots of belly laughs are in store for audiences ranging from pre-schoolers to senior adults.

A large cast features students from the metro Jackson area and others from as far away as Texas, Illinois and Wisconsin. The show by the MC Tribal Players also features performances by Clinton children.

Among the leading roles, Victor Barnette of Harrisville plays the father of the Herdman family and Kate Scowary of Chicago is cast as the mother. The Herdman kids are played by James Newell of Baton Rouge, Claire Connell of Muscle Shoals, Ala., Jimmy Brown of Birmingham, Joe Nelms of Collierville, Tenn., and Anna Cat Markham and Jordan Markham, both of Clinton.

Others from Clinton in the cast include Rebecca Gaines, Gabi Jones, Jay Kucia, Anna Crosthwait and Jessica Justice. The list of Mississippians in the cast includes Ashley Gressett of Conehatta, Paige Merrill of Hattiesburg, Laura Ruff of Canton and Judith Pollard of Clarksdale.

This will be the fourth year in a row that Jay Kucia will appear in the “Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” He’s the son of Gerald and Mignon Kucia (who’s a Mississippi College communication professor).

Performances on December 1 at Swor Auditorium are set for 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and there will be a 10 a.m. show on December 2. The final two shows will be December 3-4 with the production beginning at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $7 for general admission, $5 for all students, MC employees and senior adults. Special rates are available for groups of 20 or more at $3 per person. For more information, call 601.925.3935.