In Australia it’s called The Worst Kids in the World, but we Yanks know it as The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Based on a 1972 book by Barbara Robinson, the comedy is the story of the Herdmans, a family of delinquents. The narrator describes them as “the worst kids in the whole history of the world.” The little hooligans sass teachers, steal, set things on fire and cause general havoc while their haggard, single mother is working double shifts at a factory. The kids go to church after hearing there are free snacks there, thereby invading the only place that had previously been safe from them and their antics. (As a character says, “The…good thing about church is that the Herdmans aren’t there, ever.”) Once there, the Herdmans somehow end up getting cast in the Christmas pageant, much to the horror of other cast members and pageant organizers. Of course, everything’s changed once the Herdmans take over, but not in the way that might be expected. See The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at 7 p.m. November 20, 2 p.m. November 20, 21 and December 4. University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun. For information, call 713-743-2929 or visit www.theatre.uh.edu. $10 to $20.
Sat., Nov. 20, 2 & 7 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 21, 2 p.m.; Wed., Nov. 24, 2 p.m., 2010
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2010.