Found at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/477338p-401418c.html

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Mocking in an L. Ron wonderland

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

Cardboard scenery, paper snowflakes and angel wings from the Halloween store are the stuff that kids' Christmas pageants are made of. "A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant" - based on the teachings of the church founded by L. Ron Hubbard - includes many of the same ingredients.

But there are a few props that you don't find in a typical pageant.

Like a dancing brain.

A child "robot" narrator.

And a Suri Cruise sock puppet.

Yes, the nearly 8-month-old daughter of famous Scientologists Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes has been included in this updated version of the musical that debuted in New York in 2003.

It is presented by Les Freres Corbusier, the innovative group whose "Hell House" recently ran in Brooklyn.

Suri "is a pink puppet with a pacifier and feathery hair," says Alex Timbers, who conceived the show and directs. "She's really cute."

Kyle Jarrow wrote the book, music and lyrics for the 55-minute show that celebrates the life and teachings of Hubbard, using the idiom of a children's Christmas pageant.

"It's a satire," explains Timbers, "but without winking or irony."

The cast is comprised of kids ages 8 to 12 costumed in jazzy choir robes. The grade-school performers reenact Hubbard's birth (in a manger, of course) and explain the creation myth according to Scientology.

As for little Suri, don't worry, she's not unchaperoned. Mom Katie is also a sock puppet.

Says Timbers, "She's beige-y gray with brown pipe-cleaner hair. She's got big eyes. They bobble."

Suri's superstar dad, Tom, is included in the show, along with fellow famous Scientologists Kirstie Alley and John Travolta.

"A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant" opens Sunday. Runs through Jan. 7 at NYTW, 83 E. Fourth St. Tickets: $25-$35. (212) 239-6200.

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