Hello everyone:
Have you ever been to a live theater show that had animals as part of the show? It can be quite an experience.
My first personal experience dealt with a donkey and my part as Mary, the mother of Jesus. I couldn’t get up on the animal without help and a stepstool, so I wondered how the very pregnant Mary had managed to climb aboard. I was only pretending to be great with child. She really was.
My church was doing an outdoor living nativity scene. December in Maryland sometimes is and, in this case, really was very cold. As a result, we were only onstage for 20 minutes at a time. My shift came. I got onboard, sitting side saddle but without the saddle. As time went by, the very bony back of the donkey began to dig into my legs. By the end of my shift, I had to be lifted down from the donkey’s back by the current Joseph. Sadly, I couldn’t walk. My legs were completely numb. That effort complete, I have never ridden a donkey again.
When my boys were elementary and high school age, we took them to see a production of Noah at a major theater in Lancaster, PA. We were excited to hear that they used live animals as a part of their production. Sadly, the animals were not potty trained. Just as one of the larger creatures passed my teenaged son who was sitting in an aisle seat, the animal lightened its load. The good news is that it was scooped up very quickly. The bad news is that my son had time to say “Oh, gross, man.” That was the only thing he remembered about the experience.
Recently, one of my friends was sharing her tales of woe. One year, they had characters blowing bubbles in one scene. In the next scene, a donkey carrying Mary came on stage. Unfortunately, it had been raining outside, and the donkey’s feet were wet. Water and bubbles do not do well together. Donkey Dearest and Mary went sliding across the stage. It’s amazing that Mary didn’t go into premature labor.
Another time, they used camels to bring in the kings. One camel took a wrong step and landed in the orchestra pit. The camel and the violin section were not amused. So ended their use of live animals. And so ends this sharing of animal stories.
Best,
Dr. Sheri