San Diego’s longest-running professional theatre production is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, but Lucifer is not smiling. The Prince of Darkness has other things in mind.
“La Pastorela de Libertad,” once again features the timeless battle between Lucifer’s forces of evil and Michael the Archangel’s champions of goodness set in today’s world of chaos and hope. Its creators promise the funniest and most poignant Pastorela yet.
“La Pastorela de Libertad” is a contemporary twist on the traditional story of the shepherds’ journey to Bethlehem to witness the first Christmas. Called to action by Archangels Michael and Gabriel, the shepherds face temptation and danger from evil Lucifer and his nasty minions. The bilingual script is primarily in English with beautiful Christmas carols sung in Spanish.
Written by Max Branscomb and directed by William Virchis, “La Pastorela de Libertad” runs Dec. 9-12 and 16-18 at 7:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19 at the Lyceum Theater in Horton Plaza. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, military and groups and $7 for children under 12 or groups of 10 or more. For reservations call (619) 544-1000.
Cast members include some of San Diego’s most popular actors. Joey Molina is Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness. Tim Evans is Soledad the wily hermit. Dave Rivas and Rhys Green are the devils Satan and Moloch. Willie Green plays Michael the Archangel. Marina Inserra plays Irasema Paz, the journalism student whose new husband is deported.
La pastorela is a folk art form that dates back to the beginning of Christianity. During the second century early Christians in hiding acted out the Christmas story to hand it down in the oral tradition. It survived as an underground movement until the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in the fourth century.
The Spaniards brought it to Mexico in the 1540s and it became that country’s most popular form of theatre. More than 2,500 unique versions of the story are produced south of the border. Almost every city, town and village in Mexico has its own version of the pastorela.
A pastorela is the tale of the shepherd’s journey to Bethlehem to witness the first Christmas. It is a journey fraught with temptations, distractions and mortal peril as the devils try to prevent the shepherds from reaching their special destination. It is a traditional morality play full of choices and introspection, but presented with levity, music, beautiful costumes and poetic dialogue. Pastorelas are written entirely in verse.