The Rural Voice, 2006-12, Page 44Peace on Earth
At Christmas, mistakes at a school concert
can be forgiven
By Barbara Weiler
go to a pre-school Christmas
concert, intending to be part of
the audience. I find a child's book
thrust into my hand, The Story of
Christmas.
"We have an emergency. The
narrator for our nativity play is sick.
Would you read this while the
children do the pantomime? Please!!"
There is a desperate quality to
Phyllis's voice. Refusal is not
possible. Also, Phyllis knows a
sucker when she sees one.
It is five minutes before the play is
to begin and Phyllis is madly calling
out names behind the curtain and
tying tea -towels on children's heads
while Irene is distributing bath robes
and tying on cow masks.
Fifteen toddlers between a year
and four years old are crammed in a
small space, jostling, quarreling, all
totally unaware and uncaring that
they are about to make their acting
40 THE RURAL VOICE
debut.
Fine. I go out front and test the
microphone, then wait for some sign
that the noise behind the curtain will
stop so I can begin. It never does.
"OK? Are we ready?" I ask.
"The angel Gabriel declared unto
Mary" — Where the heck are Mary
and Gabriel? Then I realize that
Phyllis has neglected to tell me at
what point the actors will begin to
emerge. No Mary or Gabriel appear.
I soldier on.
"So Mary and Joseph went to
Bethlehem" — no sign of Mary and
Joseph — surely there must be a
Mary and Joseph in this nativity
scene? Stop. Ad lib. "Are Mary and
Joseph ready to go to Bethlehem?"
An arm appears, half leading and half
pushing a reluctant Mary and equally
hesitant Joseph onto the stage.
"And there were animals in the
stable where they stayed, cows and
donkeys and sheep and chickens —"
Long pause. Phyllis's head
appears through the curtain "Mostly
cows!" Three cows and one sheep
straggle out. The tiny stage is
becoming crowded.
"And there were shepherds
watching their flocks by night "
—two bathrobe clad urchins come
into view, pushing at each other to
make the other go first, their tea
towel head dresses slipping rakishly
off to the side, their crooks waving
dangerously.
"An angel of the Lord appeared"
Eighteen -month-old Alexis is a
perfect cherub, silver tinsel on her
blond curls, carried forth in her proud
mother's arms.
"There were three wise men who
came following the star in the east"
"Actually, four wise men" the
voice says from the opening in the
curtain.
The wise men join the group of
squirming children on stage and
Phyllis leads them in an off key
rendition of Silent Night.
"Peace on earth, good will to
men." I intone thankfully as the
ensemble bows haphazardly on stage,
and the audience applauds with
gusto.
It's Christmas.0
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