The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Where: The Grand Opera House, Oshkosh
Tickets: $19, $17, $15, $13, prices include fees and sales tax
Box office: 920-424-2350

Performance dates: December 2 through December 5, 2004

The Herdmans are absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie and steal and smoke cigars (even the girls). They talk dirty, hit little kids, cuss their teachers, set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down tool house and take the name of the Lord in vain. So no one is prepared when the Herdmans invade church one Sunday and decide to take over the annual Christmas pageant. Their interpretation - the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating - has a lot of people up in arms. Called one of America's favorite Christmas stories, Barbara Robinson's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has been a favorite among families since 1972. Funny, memorable and outrageous, a family of incorrigible children discover the Christmas story for the first time and help everyone else rediscover its true meaning. Featuring an all-local cast.