San Diego’s longest-running professional theatre production is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year, but Lucifer is sneering.  The hard-partying Prince of Darkness and his minions are making plans to ruin Christmas.

 

La Pastorela de Inspiración, the newest in Teatro Máscara Mágica’s award-winning series of Mexican-inspired Christmas musicals, once again features the timeless battle between Lucifer’s forces of evil and Michael the Archangel’s champions of goodness set in today’s world of chaos and hope.  Angels and devils do battle in thoroughly topical 2014 disguises.

 

“La Pastorela is our gift to this great community,” said playwright Dr. Max Branscomb.  “It is a lot of fun and a reminder that people of good will can make a difference in our world.”

 

La Pastorela de Inspiración, is a contemporary borderlands twist on the traditional story of the shepherds’ journey to Bethlehem to witness the first Christmas.  Called to action by Archangels Michael and Gabriel, the shepherds face temptation and danger from evil Lucifer and his nasty crew.  The bilingual script is primarily in English with Christmas carols sung in Spanish.

 

Written by Dr. Max Branscomb and directed by William Virchis, La Pastorela de Inspiración, runs Dec. 11-14 and 17-20 at 7:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. Dec. 13, 14, 20, and 21 at the Lyceum Theater in Horton Plaza.  Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, military and groups and $7 for children under 12 or groups of 10 or more.  For reservations call (619) 544-1000.

 

Cast members include some of San Diego’s most popular actors, with a mix of new talent along with favorites from Pastorelas Past.

 

La pastorela is a folk art form that dates back to the beginning of Christianity.   During the second century early Christians in hiding acted out the Christmas story to hand it down in the oral tradition.  It survived as an underground movement until the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in the fourth century.