Director Kate Clark led a motley assortment of wacky characters through a Christmas pageant gone awry, plagued with rivalries, pregnancy, kidney stones, misdirected pills and more. As they say, “hilarity ensues” with an underpinning of sisterhood and love and Christmas spirit.
Debbie Lundeen convincingly endured a later-in-life pregnancy as she supported her kidney-stone plagued Santa husband Charles Hoogstraten. It was fun to see both Morgan Pohl and Linda Widener step out from their usual backstage roles, Morgan as Debbie’s sweet adult daughter (and Virgin Mary) and Linda as the ambitious and frequently frustrated new pageant director “trying to bail out the Titanic with a thimble", often at odds with pushy, shrill, previous director, Teresa Hurd.
Revengeful jail-bird Holly Kay-Cannon and her guard (and more) Jerome Kluck were an unlikely but fun couple. Kelly Jo Garland was a worthy “secret” addition to the Futrelle sisterhood. Rich Kopitsch was particularly charming as reverend Waverly, Santa’s helper, and the frustrated suitor of Virgin Mary Morgan. Julie Franklin was the snooty one you love to hate, with a fun comeuppance — and Tim Edinger was adorable with his ubiquitous wagon and love of Christmas.
Christmas Belles runs through December 17 - tickets at https://www.riverwalktheatre.com/box-office.html or call Mike at 482-5700. ALSO, ask Mike about Gift Certificates, in any amount, which make great Christmas gifts. Available for pick up or mailed to you, through the end of the Christmas Belles run.