O.C. STAGE REVIEW : Cathedral’s ‘Glory’ Still Dazzles

The Crystal Cathedral’s annual Christmas pageant, “The Glory of Christmas,” is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the drawing power of this living creche extravaganza seems undiminished.

Sparing no gilt, the $2-million retelling of the birth of Christ is an eye-popping curio maximus --a clumsy script dressed in spectacular finery (costumes, sets and lights are by Richard Bostard, Charles Lisanby, Perry Halford and Terry Larson, respectively) and musical anachronisms (by arranger/musical director Johnnie Carl) that come soaring through state-of-the-art equipment.

It is attended by dozens of supernumeraries, a live menagerie (lambs, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, dromedaries, an ox and a cow), eight trumpeting heralds and an aerie of angels made to fly through the cathedral’s expanse, like so many Peter Pans (“Hark, the herald angels swing. . . .”)

Paul Dunn’s direction may be too reverential, the choreography (Dorie Lee Mattson) may have nothing to do with events on stage, Buddy Adler may be more crazed Quasimodo than Herod in his overreaction, and the Christmas hymns and carols (including “Greensleeves”) may be AD variations played in BC time, but spectacle, not historical detail, is the bottom line. And the singers can really sing, especially Joseph (Robin Buck), Mary (Debbie Smith), shepherdess Henrietta Davis and the children (Christopher Parker, Lyndie Nitkin, Tara Sinclair).

Cecil B. De Mille, who was surely the model, might well be envious.

“The Glory of Christmas,” Crystal Cathedral, 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove, Tuesdays to Sundays, 4:30, 6:30, 8:30 p.m. No performances Dec. 24 and 25. Ends Dec. 30. $12 to $25; (714) 54-GLORY. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.