Hark! A Christmas Musical

Lenore Henry is a frustrated Choir Director who, much to her chagrin, has been informed by her Pastor that she is needed to direct the Christmas Pageant. Despite her pleas that she has few people to draw from and a very small talent pool, Pastor Earles asks her to just do him a favor and hold auditions to see who comes. As she predicted, the auditions are rather dismal, attended only by the four choir members and three children, two of whom are only there because their parents had nothing better to do with them while they went to work. In response to Lenore’s cocerns, Pastor Earles once again asks for a favor – that she would hold her first rehearsal and see who comes. He suggests that they seek God’s guidance and pray in earnest about the endeavor. Many more people show up for this rehearsal, which turns into a three-ring circus; however, three “special” guests show arrive and, due to their perfect harmony, are immediately cast as angels in the pageant. Jealousy among the other cast members leads to more pandemonium until, finally, Lenore runs away in tears. The three angels work with the cast to create a plan to solve their issues and then go to Lenore, imploring her to reconsider cancelling the pageant. Lenore falls to her knees in prayer at the same time Pastor Earles is praying in his office and, through some theatrical magic, we hear the prayers of many of the cast members and understand more deeply why this pageant is so important to each of them. Lenore “hears” these prayers, too, and rises with a new understanding of God’s will for the pageant. The second act is the actual pageant, a retelling of the Christmas Story, in verse and song, as well as a revelation about the three “special” angels and how God used them to fulfill His will for this congregation..