CityView Magazine

28 December 2021 Kids still want to be a Herdman. After auditioning more children in 2021 than in the two previous seasons of the project, the theater team selected 120 to complete four separate casts of characters. FEATURE For unto us, a tradition returns BY COURTNEY PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CAPE FEAR REGIONAL THEATRE I t's that time of year: Gladys Herdman is Fayetteville famous, the marquee lights in Haymount are twinkling more nights than not, and there is not a dry eye in the house when Imogene soly cradles plastic baby Jesus, arms heavy with new awareness. "...this was the best one," we can only tearfully nod in agreement with the character, Mrs. Slocum, as we coax the lumps in our throats to dissipate. Aer bearing witness to one of Fayetteville's most treasured holiday traditions, remarkably performed by a cast of mostly children, we meet the brisk air with renewed hope for the season, and the future. is year marks the 30th anniversary of Cape Fear Regional eatre's production of "e Best Christmas Pageant Ever," a feel-good show about six rough and tumble siblings who decide to participate in a church's annual reenactment of the Christmas story. e treasured antics of the Herdmans, sorely missed in the hiatus of 2020, have weaved their way into the fabric of local culture. "BCPE," as the play is affectionately known among Fayetteville theater folk, will make its triumphant return on Dec. 4 and run through Dec. 19. Like everything else this year, it may look a little different, but the sentiment and quality of the performance will be the same. Actors wore masks and safely distanced for all rehearsals. Depending on conditions, they will wear masks, face shields, or hopefully just their sweet, funny faces for performances – whatever keeps everyone safe.

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