STAGE REVIEW : ‘La Virgen’: A Parable of True Christmas Spirit

Among the abiding charms of Christmas are simple tales of the triumph of goodness. The simpler the better. And none fits the mold as well or is more seductive than the tale of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Her day was celebrated Thursday, but her night was won Wednesday when the Latino Lab and El Teatro Campesino jointly presented Luis Valdez’s “La Virgen del Tepeyac” at the Million Dollar Theatre downtown.

It was the first time that Valdez’s adaptation of this 16th-Century Mexican folk tale about faith and self-esteem played Los Angeles, and the mostly Latino families that filled the Million Dollar auditorium may ensure it won’t be the last.

“La Virgen” is performed entirely in Spanish but knowing the language is not a prerequisite. There is enough dance, song, music and pageantry in the production to seduce the eye and ear, and the story is easy to follow. An English-language synopsis in the program fills in the remaining blanks.

As tales go, this is one of the simplest and sweetest. It follows the fortunes of the Indio Cuahtlatoczin, converted to the Christian faith by the missionary priests who came to Mexico with the conquistadors. Cuahtlatoczin, christened Juan Diego and stripped of his Aztec magnificence and identity, has a vision in which the Virgin Mary appears to him with a message for the local bishop.

She wants Juan Diego to tell the bishop to erect a church to her on the hill of Tepeyac. The bishop can hardly believe it, since the temple of the Aztec goddess Tonantzin is already there and the site is considered pagan. But Juan persists and three visions later, prevails when the bishop asks for a miracle and the Virgin of Tepeyac, later named Guadalupe, provides it.

The charm of Valdez’s script lies in its open, declarative style, laced with humility, humor and wisdom. Sal Lopez’s Juan Diego is a tender innocent, an Everyman whose uncompromised heart overcomes the priests’ skepticism and even the fury of the bishop’s maid (a farcical Lupe Ontiveros) who loves to chase him with a broom.

One might argue that the underlying message reflects the surrender of one culture to another in the embrace of the church but it’s hardly the point. The real theme here is recognition of the equal value of all God’s children, a point sometimes lost in missionary zeal.

Irma Rangel is the image of confident benevolence as La Virgen and Jorge Galvan is a measured and reflective bishop. Rangel’s warm, full-throated voice does justice to the ballads she sings, especially Jesse Louis Mendez’s “La Realidad de la Situacion” (she wrote the lyrics) and Daniel Valdez’s poignant “Ay Hijo Mio.”

The production, staged by the Latino Lab’s Jose Luis Valenzuela, is rich without being gaudy, elaborate without being facile, at all times mindful that the story’s virtue is a sincerity that must not be obscured by overproduction.

El Teatro Campesino, where “La Virgen” was created, provided the costumes. These include a dazzling array of Aztec finery, from magnificent feathered headdresses and ankle bells made of seed pods, to more fanciful renderings of Aztec warrior suits, helmets and loin cloths embroidered in sequins no Aztec laid eyes on. No matter. All are in vivid color and impart a great deal of the magic, since the sets, coordinated by Daniel Bradford, remain intentionally simple.

Aside from the appeal of the folk tale, there is a rousing Aztec dance at the heart of the piece and a large chorus of singers and dancers that provides context throughout and includes many young children.

Their presence is organic, part of the body of a work that opens its heart in celebration of multi-generational families everywhere. The lively mix of eclectic music, some traditional, some new, including two terrific hand-drummers, maracas and the blowing of conch shells, is provided by members of Nati Cano’s Los Camperos.

A three-story hologram of the Virgin of Tepeyac/Guadalupe was projected onto the Bradbury Building across the street from the Million Dollar as a prelude to the play (which started a half-hour late). Wednesday, a candlelight procession to the church at La Placita Olvera followed the performance to celebrate a midnight mass in honor of La Virgen. This was a one-time-only event.

One must hope the downtown location of the Million Dollar won’t deter audiences from visiting “La Virgen.” It is as close to an indigenous Christmas memory as we’re likely to get.

“La Virgen del Tepeyac,” Million Dollar Theatre, 307 S. Broadway, Los Angeles. Mondays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 and 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 22. Under age 12, $6, adults $13; (213) 972-7392, (213) 365-3501, (213) 972-7210. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

‘La Virgen del Tepeyac’

Irma (Cui Cui) Rangel: La Virgen

Sal Lopez: Juan Diego

Enrique Castillo: Tlamantini/El Tio

Jorge Galvan: El Obispo (the Bishop)

Geoff Rivas: Fray Motolinia

Richard Coca: Fray De Gante

Valente Rodriguez Fray: Las Casas

Lupe Ontiveros: La Criada

Lucy Rodriguez: Citlamina

A joint presentation of El Teatro Campesino and the Latino Theatre Lab in cooperation with Miracle on Broadway and Estela Lopez. Director Jose Luis Valenzuela. Playwright Luis Valdez. Set coordinator Daniel Bradford. Lights Jose Lopez. Costumes El Teatro Campesino. Musical staging Miguel Delgado. Aztec dance choreography Lazaro Arvizu, Xipe Totec. Musical direction Juan Jose Almaguer. Musicians Almaguer, Francisco Garcia Alanis, Juan Jimenez, Carlos Jimenez, Jesse Louis Mendez, Juan Morales. Production stage manager David S. Franklin.