STAGE REVIEW : Christmas in Fantasy Land : Theater: Lamb’s Players engaging Yuletide tale blends biblical imagery with the mystic qualities of J.R.R. Tolkien.

A cursory inspection of the program tells you immediately that the 14th annual “Lamb’s Players Festival of Christmas” is no ordinary Yule drama. In the program, amid the requisite director’s notes and cast credits, lies a J.R.R. Tolkien-style, sword-and-sorcery poem--”The Lakeforest Prophecy.” One stanza reads:

He wears no robe of royal hue

No crown of precious gold and jewel,

But in weakness a mighty lord is he,

Who from the ice shall set us free.

This incarnation of “Festival of Christmas,” the ninth for Lamb’s Players, was written by Kerry Meads and Robert Smyth, and it is reminiscent of both “The Lord of the Rings” and the New Testament. Set in a “fantasy kingdom long forgotten,” the play is fraught with biblical allusions and magical references. The story centers on a group of downtrodden folks living in a year-round frozen tundra who have forgotten how to celebrate Christmas.

“Festival of Christmas” is driven by strong characterizations, beautiful singing and Robert Smyth’s confident, detailed direction. The script itself is riddled with structural flaws and overbearing mythic metaphors, but through Smyth’s leadership, a spirited cast overcomes these shortcomings and delivers an engaging, entertaining show.

The play opens to find a group of rugged folks in a tavern. As tavern owner Mistress Pleasance (Leigh Scarritt), bar-girl Hope (Sarah Zimmerman), patrons Trumbley (Christian Turner), Galant (Tim Tulumello) and Larkspur (Cynthia Peters) begin discussing “The Lakeforest Prophecy” of the returning prodigal son, a mysterious character named Wren (Mark Howen) arrives on the scene.

As it turns out, Wren is the long-lost son of a local patriarch (played with zany humor by Kurt Reichert). As the play develops, Wren reveals his true identity, fulfills the prophecy to bring spiritual liberation and reminds everyone about the joys of Christmas. In a somewhat heavy-handed metaphor, Wren also breaks through the ice in the frozen lake, heralding the coming of Spring, of rebirth, of Easter.

As the narrator Celebrant, Deborah Gilmour Smyth comes on a little too strong, but the rest of the cast is much more refined. Mike Buckley is hilarious as Tidwell, the foppish steward with multiple personalities. Scarritt delivers a whirlwind performance as the bawdy tavern hostess; Tulumello is a vibrant, focused bundle of youthful angst as the nay-saying Gallant, and Zimmerman--a local high school student--demonstrates promising talent as the stuttering child, Hope.

Vanda Eggington’s musical arrangements are delightful, and everyone in the cast revels in the Christmas songs throughout the two-hour show. Zimmerman’s voice is the finest in the cast, and her supple soprano is featured at every turn. Scarritt does a wonderful job with “Slumber Lullaby,” and Buckley leads the male singers through a moving “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

Jeanne Reith’s costumes create a genuine medieval feel, and Robert Smyth’s lighting design evokes an ethereal mood at the appropriate junctures. James R. Gunn’s simple set design is augmented greatly by the use of smoking dry ice.

The 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” established that a religious tale set in a medieval context is ripe fodder for comedy. Throughout “Holy Grail,” John Cleese, Eric Idle and the other Pythons parodied Christianity and poked fun at the inherent gloominess of Middle Age life with remarkable wit and clarity.

So when I learned that “Festival of Christmas” was a religious tale set in a medieval-like fantasy kingdom, my mind wandered through the funniest scenes from the Python film--the blessing of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, the Knights who say “Nee” episode, the Castle Anthrax debacle. On opening night, I walked into the Lamb’s Players Theatre’s cozy theater-in-the-round venue with one goal in mind--don’t giggle.

I didn’t. Lamb’s Players handled the potentially hazardous subject matter with plucky zest and welcome irreverence. “Festival of Christmas” is a pleasant addition to the holiday rush of Christmas dramas, and the singing is truly glorious.

“LAMB’S PLAYERS FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMAS”

By Kerry Meads and Robert Smyth. Directed by Robert Smyth. Musical director is Vanda Eggington. Costumes by Jeanne Reith. Sets by James R. Gunn. Lights and sound by Robert Smyth. Dance choreography by Pamela Turner. Fight choreography by Marshall Dicks. Stage manager is Jerry Reynolds. With Deborah Gilmour Smyth, Mark Howen, Leigh Scarritt, Sarah Zimmerman, Tim Tulumello, Christian Turner, Cynthia Peters, Mike Buckley, Kurt Reichert and Veronica Murphy Smyth. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Sundays, with 10:00 a.m. matinees on Saturdays and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 28. Also, 2 p.m. weekday matinees on Dec. 20, 23, 24, 26, 27. No performance on Dec. 25. At Lamb’s Players Theatre, 500 Plaza Blvd., National City. Tickets $15-$20. 474-4542.