EUREKA SPRINGS — On Dec. 10, the day before the Yuletide Feast at St. Elizabeth Church, parishioners sprang into action to decorate and prepare for the first performance of their first Madrigal dinner. This Christmas feast was a part of a series of special events scheduled by the parish to commemorate the centennial of the historical church.
The Madrigal dinner is a reflection of the community in Eureka Springs. Located in the Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs as a town is known for its spirit of creativity, a town full of venues for artists, musicians and actors alike.
The idea of the Madrigal performance is considered an American form of dinner theater, often held by schools and church groups during the Christmas season. Pastor Father Shaun Wesley said, “We did something like this when I was in the seminary at St. Meinrad in Indiana. Ours was the St. Nicholas Banquet, which was the Christmas party for all the seminarians, faculty and staff.”
Described as an evening of Elizabethan choral music, drama and fine dining, St. Elizabeth’s Yuletide Feast featured choral music from both the medieval and the renaissance periods. The traditional songs of the Madrigal dinner included the “Wassail Song” and the “Boar’s Head Carol.”
During the dinner for about 70 people, a play was performed between the courses of the meal. The characters included a king, queen and court jester, along with other members of the royal court.
“We have set up the dinner in a royal hall for the king and queen with the choir serving as their immediate court. Everyone who comes to the dinner will be guests of the king’s Christmas dinner. It takes all of what you can imagine of this Christmas feast and rolls it up together,” Father Wesley said.
The play performed at the Yuletide Feast was a traditional morality play called “The Summoning of Every Man.” This medieval play is based on the idea that Death comes to Every Man. The court jester is the one conducting the feast, and he is also the one that Death is coming for. In the play, he seeks the help of different characters in order to elude Death. In the final moments of the play, Lady Wisdom explains to the court jester that he must rely on Christ and his saving grace for his salvation.
The court jester was played by Martha Bartell. The 17-year-old actor said the play is a teachable moment for the whole parish.
“This is a good play for the church,” she said. “It will appeal to all generations. But there is a lot of humor in the play too. The whole drama plays into the dinner courses. The king calls for the different course of the feast and as court jester, I give the orders to the servers.”
The music that accompanied the dramatic action of the performance was selected by Sharon Parker, choir director for the parish.
“The music during the dinner is very much a part of the drama and is used to begin the various courses of the feast,” she said.
Parker defined Madrigal as a type of singing that is very intricate — often sung a cappella — and contains four to eight different voice parts.
“Because my singers numbered 14, I could not do a musical version with that many different vocal parts. Instead I have found exquisite arrangements of English, Spanish and French carols. Our Madrigal singers perform 11 musical selections from their procession into the royal hall to their recession out. The last selection, ’Silent Night’ is not a Madrigal song, but so beloved that we include it at the feast’s end for all to sing,” she said.
The five-course dinner was prepared by Father Wesley, who is considered a gourmet chef by many of his parishioners. Beginning with the hot, spiced Wassail, the appetizer course featured brie en croute, a brie baked in a pastry with dried cherries and pecans, served with crackers and apple slices. The second course was a pumpkin shrimp bisque with chipotle cream.
According to Father Wesley, the main course included all the traditional meats that are in procession during the Madrigal dinner.
“Traditionally, you would have the boar’s head processed in, then the fish brought in, followed by the peacock pie. Taking the place of these traditional dishes, we have promegranate glazed pork loin, a chicken and wild mushroom pye and a herb-crusted fillet of salmon. Barley risotto with cranberries and green beans almondine complete the main course,” he said.
A salad of smoked gouda and pears with balsamic dressing was then served. In place of the traditional plum pudding, the final course was the white chocolate and blueberry bread pudding with Grand Marnier sauce.
“An incredible amount of work has gone into our Yuletide Feast,” centennial chairman Rod McGuire said. “It is a pretty big deal for a little church. We are having a good time with it too.”
According to Father Wesley, there have been discussions of possibly offering the event in the future on two or more nights.
To conclude the centennial, the church will host a special Mass and then go to dinner at the Crescent Hotel April 25.
McGuire said, “To commemorate that first gathering in 1909 when the original parishioners had their Mass and then went to dinner at the Crescent, we will be doing the same.”
