With the stirring vocals of Kristian Lawrence who opened the production singing “O Holy Night”, right through to the finale, Sunday’s annual Christmas production by Youth Aflame was both a blessing and an inspiration. Minus a few minor glitches it was one of the best I have witnessed in years. Youth Aflame’s annual Chante Danse Noel production this year was called Something About Christmas. It gave the audience much food for thought through the experience of one family which played out on the stage.
The play focused on four main characters including three siblings who come together for Christmas. Two of them are into the spirit of Christmas and try to get their sister enthused about the season as well. However, she (Carol) can’t seem to let go of negative experiences that the family has encountered at Christmas including the death of their parents who were killed by a drunk driver. In the end Carol’s younger sister and brother underscore the true meaning of Christmas and reach her through prayer after she lays all her troubles at the feet of Jesus on whom the family has depended all their lives to help them through.
Carol’s boyfriend spices up several of the scenes with his ‘nerdish’ character and funny moments, while the dances that intertwine the scenes allow the production to flow seamlessly. A wonderful Christmas production it was indeed. The only disappointment was that there were not more persons (including church members) to witness it. All proceeds from Sunday’s Youth Aflame production, which was held at the National Cultural Centre, go towards assisting the poor and needy with hampers, clothing and toys at this time of year.
