Sant Bani School Fall Play Production a Success

The high school theater department presented “The Butterfingers Angel,” 7 p.m., December 16, 17 & 18, directed by Craig Jaster. The full title, “The Butterfingers Angel, Mary & Joseph, Herod The Nut, & The Slaughter of 12 Hit Carols In A Pear Tree,” gives a better sense of the theme and style.

The play, by William Gibson (who also wrote “The Miracle Worker”) is a touching, funny, highly imaginative retelling of the Christmas story. It features a talking sheep, cow and donkey, and a very worldly talking tree, in addition to beguiling young Mary (sophomore Isabel Bogacz) who had decided men, marriage and motherhood were not for her, a cautious and increasingly jealous Joseph (junior Andrés Orr), and a flustered boy-angel (junior Adison Lintner) who attempts to direct the action from a promptbook and manages to get only the most strangled, bleating sounds from his trumpet.

Though filled with familiar Christmas carols and presented in a style that pays homage to impromptu childrens Christmas pageants, the play is poignant and mature. The unpleasant appearances of the “The Man In Grey” a.k.a. Herod (senior Dylan Dinger) bring a sense of deadly urgency to the action along with the very lively, real-life humor.