Easter Stage and Musical Productions Numerous

Musical and stage productions of Jesus’ final week are numerous in Southern California this Easter season, perhaps spurred in Southern California by the continuing success of the Crystal Cathedral’s grandiose “Glory of Easter” dramatization, complete with hovering angels and simulated earthquake.

About 140,000 persons are expected to see the 58 performances at the Crystal Cathedral, which began March 15 and will end April 13. (Eastern Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter this year on April 14.)

A spokesman said that the 56 performances of “Glory of Easter” last year, its first year, drew 104,000 and that about 20,000 of those were complimentary tickets. “We didn’t give away so many tickets this year,” the spokesman said.

An Easter musical employing large video screens and 125 costumed performers opened Friday night at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Hollywood Hills. The production titled “I Am,” the cast of which is drawn from the sanctuary choirs of Faith Evangelical Church in Northridge and First Baptist Church of Reseda, continues tonight and twice on Sunday.

Dramatic or musical productions of the Crucifixion-Resurrection story scheduled next week include:

--The Episcopal Chorale Society is performing Dubois’ “The Seven Last Words of Christ” on Palm Sunday evening at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.

---The Covenant Players will present dramatic reflections on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus at St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church in Reseda on the night of Good Friday.

---The fifth annual Redlands Easter Pageant will be held Friday through Easter Sunday at Temple Baptist Church in Redlands. Last year more than 2,400 people attended the five performances of the pageant.

---Costumed members of 10 Los Angeles Latino churches will reenact the Crucifixion on Saturday afternoon in MacArthur Park. The two-hour production, conducted entirely in Spanish, is coordinated by Vida Para Los Angeles, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.