IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE...

My readers living in Southern California will have probably heard of THE PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS, a major part of Laguna Beach's annual Festival of the Arts.  After my daughter and her husband attended the opening night last week, she immediately called me and said I should include a post about it for my blog, because this year's program, ONLY MAKE BELIEVE,  showcased the work of artists "who devoted themselves to conjuring everything from Victorian historical fantasies to illustrations for fairytales beginning 'Once Upon a Time'..." (from their press release, read more below):

Performed each night in the Irvine Bowl by the Pageant orchestra, live music remains a key part of the theatrical magic of this 78-year-old presentation of "art that lives and breathes."


From the mythological legends of ancient Greece to evocations of classic stories of buried treasure, spooky encounters and the simple pleasures of playing dress-up, the 2011 Pageant promises no shortage of fantasy fun for the entire family.

If you've never experienced this spectacle, all I can say is that you have to see it to understand and appreciate it.  It is an amazing show of "art come to life", with volunteers from the community placed into a backdrop with props and lighting that recreates a famous work of art.  They also recreate famous statues. The website describes it as a "uniquely theatrical celebration of tableaux vivants – "living pictures".

This year's pageant opens with Charles Buchel's 1904 Lithograph, "PETER PAN AND WENDY".

Another fun painting they bring to life is John Falter's TRICK OR TREATING IN THE BURBS (1958).

Some of the ethereal illustrations of Virginia Sterrett's ARABIAN NIGHTS are presented, as well Sir John Tenniel's wood block prints from ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

Their casting call: "CAN YOU STAND STILL?"
Photo source HERE

And if that doesn't convince you to go, there is a whole tribute to DRAGONS at the end of the first act.  For ticket information, click here. Can't quite picture what I'm describing?  Watch this quick video: