Reviewed by Margaret Thompson
Thirty years. That’s how long West End Assembly of God has been putting on their annual Christmas musical. Fifteen years. That’s how long seeing it has been on my bucket list. Okay, maybe not that long, but definitely for as long as the term bucket list has been a part of pop culture.
At long last, my family and I journeyed over to the sprawling complex near the intersection of Parham Road and Patterson Avenue last Friday night to take in this holiday extravaganza. This year’s rendition, titled A Storybook Christmas, was written by the members of the church and would feature the world’s largest pop-up book. That was all I really knew as we took our seats along with hundreds of others in the massive, yet surprisingly cozy venue.
If you’ve seen it, I don’t need to tell you just how magnificent the performance is. You already know, and you more than likely have your tickets purchased each year the second they go on sale, a date you have programmed into all of your calendars, and your back-up calendars, just in case. If you haven’t seen it, I really hate to give too much away. I think half of the fun of attending for all of us was not knowing what was going to happen next. Let’s just say the rumors you’ve heard are all true. For me, that was: 1) There are live animals. Check. (And we’re not talking a bunny or something – we’re talking Great. Big. Animal. And 2) People fly. Check.
And as a side note, it was more than a little surreal for me that I happened to know Jesus, personally. I mean, really, how often can you say that?
This year’s production mixes the classic first Christmas nativity with one of the year’s most popular TV families, and to make that even a little creative, let’s throw in Mother Goose…and all of her tales. At seven and five, my boys enjoyed every minute of the production, which lasted just over two hours. With so many sights and sounds to mesmerize little minds and eyes – including a holiday sing-along to break things up nicely, I would recommend Glorious Christmas Nights: A Storybook Christmas for families with children three and up.
If you haven’t had a chance to read about this beautiful show from West End Assembly of God in this month’s RFM, please do so. And if that doesn’t pique your interest enough to head on over to Glorious Christmas Nights to snap up the few remaining tickets for this week’s performances, I’ll be a partridge in a pear tree.
