A review of a Christmas show. A Christmas show!

...For the first hour-and-40-minutes, the big-budget revue succeeds in entertaining and building holiday spirit.



But then the tone changes rapidly.

A recreation of the biblical Christmas story, complete with live animals, wise men and shepherds drags on for a good 20 minutes.

An ominous voice narrates the entire story, beginning with Isaiah's Old Testament prophecy, with such seriousness that it turns preachy and overbearing. You almost expect the narrator to tell the Easter story and read the Book of Revelation.

Had NextStage been a church and its congregation known what to expect, terrific.

But to lure spectators of all faiths (and non-faiths) with the promise of an entertaining holiday revue, and then to ambush them with Christian theology, is dated and borderline offensive, especially at a time when understanding of other cultures and beliefs is more important than ever.

The RCCS creators are wrong to assume that Jews, Muslims and other non-Christians don't have the same right to holiday fluff that Christians do.

If you want to see the Rockettes, then go, but remember to leave after the "Christmas Dreams" number, before "The Living Nativity" begins.



The sheer revulsion some people have for religion still amazes me. A magazine (Cinefantastique) I read had reviews of various fantasy and horror films. Blood, slashing, and violence are common in these films. Only one review on the whole page had a warning for parents: the review of the Veggie Tales "Jonah" movie. Parents were warned that children may be exposed to religious themes.

His excuse that such things "offend" people of other religions is ridiculous. I think there was only one person offended that night, and that was him. Why, is a question I don't need to answer here.

By this idiot's criteria, the annual classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" would have to be taken off the air, along with dozens of other Christmas specials which might accidentally mention the birth of Christ.

I didn't haul my kids into the other room to prevent them from seeing "Rug Rat's Hannukah" when they were younger, on the chance that they would be "corrupted" by exposure to other religions. That would have been nuts.

What are people like Lowry thinking?

(Observant folks will remember the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as the paper that ripped Harry Stein a new one not too long ago.)