THEATER REVIEW : ‘Glory’ Is Sheer Spectacle, If Not Sheer Poetry

When Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones meshed talents for the word and image with their spectacular 17th-Century masques for the English court, they made some of the first movies.

They were also anticipating a show such as “The Glory of Christmas” at the Crystal Cathedral, which, after 13 years, must surely rank among the most grandiose religious masques anywhere. Jonson and Jones could only dream, for instance, of the tricks pulled off by Flying by Foy, that ubiquitous outfit responsible for getting the show’s many hovering angels off the ground.

To be sure, architect and designer Jones would be dazzled--dazzled by the towering, twinkling night sky over Charles Lisanby’s set of Bethlehem; by the thunderous lightning storm before Jesus’ birth; by those flying angels (the first sight of which outdoes the same stunt in “Angels in America” for sheer theatrical wonder), and by the baroque decor and more than 200 peasants, dancers, Magi, horses, donkeys, centurions, camels and sheep. This is the religious masque with a passion for excess. This re-creation of the Nativity also features 17 musical numbers and what is billed as one of the largest indoor sets in the world: 80 feet high and 124 feet across, with five miles of steel undergirding.

Playwright Jonson, on the other hand, would not be so pleased. Though the masques and passion plays strove for a balance between image and word, writer-director Paul David Dunn’s show is all dazzle, and little thought. While we don’t want psycho-dramas made of our pageants, the sheer spectacle certainly needs some poetry.

Alas, in “The Glory of Christmas,” whenever an actor says a word, it’s almost like scenery tumbling down.

Part of this is due to the huge, audible disparity between the enormous cast’s pros and amateurs. While pro Arthur C. (Buddy) Adler grandly devours the scenery as the evil King Herod, his Roman lieutenants sound like guys showing up for a costume party. As a plot to murder the newborn holy child, Herod’s discussion doesn’t sound serious.

Similarly, when Joseph and Mary (alternately played by pros Tod Fitzpatrick and Bruce Johnson and Bobbi Candler and Virenia Lind) press an innkeeper (Don Eyer, alternating with Chris Blanas) for lodging, Eyer makes it feel like he’s a gas-station attendant giving directions.

Fortunately, the dialogue here is at a minimum. The dominant spoken words emerge, as it were, from above, with narrator Thurl Ravenscroft’s (recorded) stentorian voice. His narrative links between scenes avoid the hokey until the end, when Jesus’ remaining 30-plus years are summed up in about one minute.

The result of the narration and the gigantic effects (care of Rick Helgason) tends to rub against the utterly humble conditions of Jesus’ birth, but it has also made “The Glory of Christmas” very high on the must-see list for out-of-town relatives--even if they’re nonbelievers. And you can tell them that this spectacle far outstrips almost anything at nearby Disneyland.

Where “Glory,” however, can’t match Disneyland for wowing the crowd is pacing. Though just a touch over an hour, Dunn’s staging too often grows static, particularly during the oddly mixed program of new songs and old carols. For those of us who love tableaux staging, this show is a great feast (climaxing with the populous “Adoration of the Magi”). But tableaux--and the cathedral’s enormous stage--requires time to set up, and here, it seems to require a great deal of time.

Of course, so do Masses and other rituals. Taken as something between Hollywood and a rite, “Glory” remains a unique fusion of theater and the devotional, a high-tech masque in a huge glass church.

* “The Glory of Christmas,” Crystal Cathedral, 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove. Call for times. $12-$30. Through Dec. 30. (714) 544-5679. Running time: Just more than an hour.

Bobbi Candler: Mary

Virenia Lind: Mary

Tod Fitzpatrick: Joseph

Bruce Johnson: Joseph

Arthur C. (Buddy) Adler: Herod

Don Eyer: Innkeeper

Chris Blanas: Innkeeper

Scott Watanabe: Shepherd

Daniel Leal: Shepherd

Patricia Prunty: Shepherdess

Rozlyn Sorrell: Shepherdess

A Paul David Dunn production. Writer-producer-director: Paul David Dunn. Musical director-arranger: Johnnie Carl. Set: Charles Lisanby. Costumes: Richard Bostard. Lights: Perry Halford and Terry Larson. Special effects: Rick Helgason.