Pageant of the Masters via Facebook.com/Festival Pageant

I had a friend who was one of the tableaux vivants (“living pictures”) one year at the Pageant of the Masters. It was surreal seeing him on stage in suspended animation as part of a landmark Renaissance painting brought to life in the seaside town of Laguna Beach. He told me it took nearly three hours for them to paint his barely-clad body with all kinds of cosmetics so that he could look like a Greek god.

I’d recommend bringing binoculars to the Pageant as it’s easy to mistake what’s real (humans) with what’s wooden (sculptures) and just when you thought you’d figured it out, you see someone blink or gracefully move after a few minutes of holding a challenging pose and then moving to another one. The two-hour show takes place in a stunning canyon amphitheater with lovely summer evening weather. Cameras are not permitted and I’d recommend you bring a cushion to sit on.

You may see a little ballet or burlesque interspersed with the stills. The end of each show always includes a breathtaking recreation of Leonardo daVinci’s “The Last Supper.” And, then, it’s off to downtown Laguna Beach, not far away which is a wonderful place to just romantically stroll or, better yet, venture on down to Main Beach and get your toes wet. It’s only a five-minute walk from downtown.