Thanks to the generosity of friends, Mister and I had a super-duper art outing recently: Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters. Over the years, we’ve attended this annual production a few times. And we’ve yet to be disappointed.

 

Since 1933, The Pageant has been presenting various tableaux vivants (or “living pictures”) to the amazement and delight of audiences. Here’s a simple breakdown of how it works…

 

A chosen work of art, be it painting or sculpture, is recreated on scale with our human form/size. For instance, a chosen painting will be reproduced – entire background, costumes, applicable props and shadows – without the painted human(s). Then a volunteer will be dressed in wardrobe that matches the original painting. Make-up and hair pieces created specifically for said painting will be applied and then the volunteer will take her or his designated place in the framed piece. Hit the stage with proper lighting and voila! The recreation appears magically before our eyes, as if we’re seeing the real painting. The volunteers hold their poses for 90 seconds, allowing the audience to really take in the show. Once in a great while, an arm will flicker and that is when you know your eyes are not fooling you. Added to this visual extravaganza, original and historic music played live by the Pageant of the Masters Orchestra is simply the proverbial cherry on top of an artistic sundae.

 

This year’s Pageant featured 40 works! That’s a lot of art, y’all. The variety was tremendous and so beautiful. Not only were pieces presented on stage, some were shown throughout the show’s grounds. And you’d think 90 seconds would be plenty of time to get a good gander, but trust me when I tell you each piece left us wanting more.

 

Each year’s Pageant is built around a unique theme. This year’s theme was “The Art Detective” and the represented pieces all fit into that category in some way or another. Per the show’s program, the various works “…have been lost, stolen, misunderstood, rediscovered, and sometimes unfairly forgotten.”  I loved the way the pieces were tied together. I loved the history and stories belonging to each piece. Some made me laugh. Others made me cry. What can I tell you? Art is emotional.

 

I’m not sure, but I believe the Pageant of the Masters has ended each year’s production with the same piece: Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. This year, as part of the show’s theme, it was explained how The Last Supper was very nearly destroyed by an errant bomb during World War II. Even though I know the piece has persevered, even though I knew it was about to be presented, I cried. I had no idea da Vinci’s great work had been barricaded and saved by desperate monks who knew the intrinsic value of The Last Supper. I had no idea how close the world had been to losing such beauty. Like so much of life, I had (have) no idea…

 

After the lights had come up and folks were making their way out of the venue, Mister and I were given the rare gift of a backstage tour. One of the friends accompanying us is a volunteer at the Pageant. She took us around and showed us where the magical preparation happens for each night’s show. The sets were beautiful and gi-normous. The areas designated for wardrobe, hair and make-up were perfectly organized and tiny. I guess that after 80-plus years the folks behind the scenes have figured out a thing or two about keeping the show rolling. Seeing behind the curtain was enlightening and a privilege. We were mighty grateful.

 

The Pageant of the Masters is about to close its nearly 2-month run. But there’s always next year! And if you plan to find yourself in the Los Angeles area next summer, I highly recommend looking into tickets for Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters. Like I said, I’ve never been disappointed. How could I be? It’s living art. And it’s truly spectacular.

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