'Great Passion Play' Company Takes Visitors from Dickens to Bethlehem
by Randall Murphree
October 30, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Don't be surprised if you hear a "Bah! Humbug!" as you get out of the family van and enter the Victorian street setting. You're in Eureka Spring, Arkansas, at the site best known for its moving Great Passion Play. But this time, you're being greeted by none other than Ebenezer Scrooge himself, along with other characters from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Victorian carolers fill the air with song, and fortunately, Scrooge's fellow players win the day and restore a sense of the meaning of the season. A town crier will soon be inviting you to enter the gates to experience the very first Christmas.
The folks who present The Great Passion Play are offering their fourth annual "Beyond Dickens," a Christmas event, in the same setting where the passion drama began its storied run almost 40 years ago. It has long enjoyed the distinction of being America's #1 attended outdoor drama.
"Beyond Dickens" is a unique celebration of the Christmas season running weekends only (Fridays and Saturdays) November 10 - December 9. "It's an interactive nativity where guests become a part of the production," said Mardell Bland, "Beyond Dickens" spokesperson. After Scrooge and company greet you in the Victorian street, you'll pass through a towering wall.
"It's like a time machine," said Bland. "Suddenly, you're strolling down the streets of Bethlehem 2,000 years ago." Roman soldiers order you to register for the census and pay your taxes. Townspeople tell you about their lives. Mary and Joseph tell you their story themselves.
"I've been to Eureka Springs many times through the years," said Buddy Smith, assistant to the president at American Family Association. As a bi-vocational pastor, Smith said he has taken countless youth and adult church groups to The Great Passion Play.
Bland emphasized that the "Beyond Dickens" experience is not a sit-down-and-watch drama, but an opportunity to walk the streets of Bethlehem at your own pace, interacting with the characters along the way. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, but a $20 family admission makes it economical. Guests may enter the gates to Bethlehem at any time between 5:30 and 8:00 pm.
In addition to "Beyond Dickens," the theater's year-round attractions are open to guests at no additional cost. The Sacred Arts Center with guest artists on hand, the Museum of Earth History and a Bible museum are among the bonus things to enjoy. An indoor display of nativities from around the world is featured and live music is provided by choirs and gifted soloists.
The Great Passion Play events are highlighted and promoted in Branson, Missouri's holiday and event listings, a testament to their quality. Branson, just an hour north of Eureka Springs, hosts two more of the nation's premiere Christmas celebrations. Branson itself puts on a great family show for Christmas, and Silver Dollar City, a family theme park near Branson, goes all out to focus on the real reason for the Christmas season.
Eureka Springs and Silver Dollar City are hardly an hour apart and not so far from the center of the country, putting them within a day's drive of much of the nation.
Smith said the Eureka Springs site is first-class all the way. "When they offer something," Smith said, "churches and parents ought to sit up and take notice. It's sure to be something that will enhance our walk with the Lord. It would be a great gift to family or friends as we look toward celebrating the birth of the Savior."
Randall Murphree, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. For more information or to verify dates and times for "Beyond Dickens" call 800-882-7529 or e-mail mbland@greatpassionplay.com.
