by Aya Hashiguchi Clark

The Christmas season is almost upon us. Christmas parties, caroling and holiday baking are among the celebrations we look forward to.

Another yearly treat Burien theatre-goers have come to expect is the Christmas show at Burien Actors Theatre. But, for anyone who has attended one of BAT’s holiday plays, you know not to expect anything from the usual line-up of Christmas dramas. There will be no “A Christmas Carol” or “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

No, BAT likes to observe Christmas their own way. This year, BAT is celebrating Christmas the Jewish way.

This Friday, BAT opens their latest holiday show CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS. Written by Donald Marguiles, this is a humorous tale about Shirley Abramowitz, a Jewish girl who, much to her immigrant parents’ exasperation, is cast as Jesus in her school’s Christmas pageant in 1935.

Young Shirley (played by Lauren Scoville) is cast by her teachers because she has a loud voice, which she is not afraid to use, while her mother (Eileen McCann) objects to what she sees as “forced” assimilation into the predominant Christian culture and an attack on her Jewish heritage. Dad (Christopher McDowell) is not against his daughter playing Jesus, but decides to stand united with his wife anyway.

Told as a sentimental memory by the now elderly Shirley (Vera Werre) to her present-day great granddaughter (Emily Dumaran), CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS weaves in nostalgia, encouragement and plenty of humor.

Co-directed by BAT’s Rochelle Flynn and Maggie Larrick, this is a play that will touch audiences regardless of religious or cultural background.

“I am Jewish, but I am also a first generation American,” explains Flynn. “Both my parents are Russian Jews, so some of the stories [told by Shirley’s parents about their immigration experience], I heard from my mother when I was a little girl. So, it’s deeply personal to me.”

“I read the novel “Exodus” as a teen, and became fascinated by what that would have been like to have to flee...being threatened all the time, being bullied and not having a place where you could feel safe.” says Larrick. “And while I wasn’t in danger of my life, I understood about being an outsider, what that felt like.”

Peppered in with the conflict and gentle humor in the family’s scenes are not one, but two frenetic pageants (one for Thanksgiving, the other for Christmas) performed by Shirley and her Coney Island classmates.
“I absolutely love the hilarious comedy with all the kids’ pageants. The humor comes out of the reality of what could go wrong with that pre-teen age group...one thing after another, after another,” explains Larrick.

What could possibly go wrong? Larrick lists just a few. “You’re talking when you’re not supposed to, you’re distracted and you forget your lines, you have your costume on backwards....!”

But the antics of hapless young actors is not the only theme of these scenes. Shirley’s school friends come from various parts of the US. Expect pilgrim Miles Standish to speak with a Southern accent, and the Virgin Mary to speak like a gal from Brooklyn.

“The message that gets passed on is about being yourself and finding yourself.” says Flynn. “I love that we mix the cultures here. It’s a Christmas show and it’s a Hanukkah show. And it’s also about finding your voice.”

The ensemble portraying school teachers and students include Tamsyn Kime, Adam Hegg, Susan Echols-Orton, Anna Richardson, Carol Stanley, Michael Tangedahl, Mindy Whitfield, Tim Takechi, Grace Xie, Shoshanna T. Glick, Aimee Hong and Mary McDowell.

CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS runs from Nov. 29 through Dec. 22, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Sunday Dec. 1 is Seven Buck Sunday.

Burien Actors Theatre is located in the Burien Community Center at 14501 4th Ave. SW. For information and online ticketing, go to www.burienlittletheatre.org or call 206-242-5180.