Review: Texas megachurch glorifies the incarnation in 'Gift of Christmas' extravaganza
PLANO, Texas — First and foremost: I'm not exactly what you would call a huge fan of musical theater.
Now, that's not to say I don't like music. I enjoy all types of music, worship and otherwise (no emails, please). I might even consider myself "musical" in the strictest sense of the word, albeit not exactly spiritually gifted in that department.
But a fan of musicals? No, not even a little bit.
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Yet after taking my family to see "The Gift of Christmas" musical extravaganza at Prestonwood Baptist Church, I have to confess that I may just become a fan after all.
Featuring a nearly 1,000-member cast and choir, live orchestra, zoo animals, and yes, flying angels, "Gift of Christmas" is, quite simply, a visually stunning and biblically evocative production.
Full disclosure: my family and I are regular attendees at Prestonwood but have no formal ties with the Dallas-area megachurch.
Timed at roughly 100 minutes long, the show is briskly paced and engaging for all ages and opens with an almost entirely Santa-centric Act 1, with scenes at the North Pole and Santa's workshop consuming much of the storyline.
Featuring an electric flying sleigh, Mrs. Clause and Frosty the Snowman, the first act feels a lot like one of those traditional TV holiday specials: enjoyable and entertaining but lacking in real substance.
The show initially places a bit too much emphasis on color and wonder in the opening act, as if to "feed the kids first" from a content perspective.
But that's not where the story ends.
Once the North Pole set pieces are gone, the performance undergoes a somber, expectant shift in tone as the show turns its focus to the "reason for the season," the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
With moving renditions of "Carol of the Bells" and "O Holy Night," the performers deftly reach back to a forgotten era where Christmas music was centered not on Santa or "holiday cheer" but on Jesus Christ and the mystery of the incarnation.
Even when a Noah's Ark-like procession of camels, alpacas and zebras enter into the fray as angels harnessed to a sliding track float above the audience, there isn't a moment in Act 3 that feels trite or commercial.
The scene of the kings of the East and their entourage making their way toward the coming King in anticipation of His birth has an unexpected realism about it, distinct from the cartoonish or even Sunday school-style ways in which the first Christmas is often depicted.
And despite all the online buzz about "flying angels," upon the first encounter with these angels, most of whom are clothed in loose, draping linens and crowned with elaborate headdresses as they soar above the audience, it's hard to imagine real angels looking much different.
The production, expected to draw roughly 70,000 people from across the country, reaches its climax with the birth of the Savior and a closing number that feels more like a worship service than a Broadway musical.
At the show's conclusion, Pastor Connor Bales of Prestonwood's North Campus delivered a brief but passionate presentation of the Gospel, a fitting end to what was undoubtedly a night my family and I will remember long after the season is over.
If you're in the North Texas area and looking to reignite your Christmas wonder — musical fan or not — you could do much worse than giving your family this "Gift of Christmas."
Performances are scheduled to run through Sunday. Tickets are for sale on a limited basis.
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
