Parting Thoughts
MY FAVORITE DAY ARTICLE DEIRDRE MICHALSKI
O
of Summer
ne thing I anticipate all year long is the Pageant of the
piece they created. They are so proud of their work. Just call me
Masters in Laguna Beach. It is a marathon of a day and
profoundly impressed, as I can barely draw a stick figure!
evening, but it is nine hours of sheer fun. This year the Festival of
Here is a little tip I just discovered–the “Passport To The Arts”
Arts is proudly celebrating its 85th year, and the town is all abuzz.
provides access to the Festival of Arts, Sawdust Festival and Art-
To honor this distinction, they just completed a year-long facelift
A-Fair for the July/August season. For only $24 per person it pro-
and now have a brand new entry, spectacular stage, enhanced
vides admission to all three. The Festival offers children’s events
grounds and courtyard–and, they even added a lovely wine bar.
during the day, art tours, jazz nights, wine and chocolate tastings,
A brisk walk along Main Beach is the perfect spot where we
lecturers and other special events. What a great value!
like to start our outing. We ‘people watch,’ marvel at the beauty
The Pageant of the Masters is one of the most unique productions in
of the water and breathe in that crisp, coastal air. We step into
the world and, if you have not attended, it is really worth doing. Staged
The Terrace at the Hotel Laguna for a quick cocktail and another
in an outdoor amphitheater with a professional orchestra, the live
peek at the beach below. Then, we are off for an early dinner. By
narration and elaborate sets create a captivating experience under the
the time we leave the restaurant, the town has transformed itself
stars. I am always enchanted by the ninety minutes of tableaux vivants
from water-soaked beachgoers and boogie boards to resort-clad
(living pictures), which are re-creations of classical and contemporary
patrons who are all set to paint the town. We saunter our way up to
paintings and statues. They use real people posing to look exactly like
the Festival of Arts entrance–all ready to join in the fun.
their counterparts in the original works of art. My favorite part is when
The Festival of Arts is an incredible open-air festival with a
they show the actors getting into place against the backdrop and how
welcoming center courtyard. There are 140 local artists show-
the stage is transformed once the lighting is perfected. This year, the
casing their impressive works of art. It is a prestigious juried
theme is “The Grand Tour,” which focuses on the 17th and 18th centu-
art show and includes a wide variety of media, such as paint-
ries, when wealthy travelers visited the great cultural centers of
ings, photography, printmaking, sculpture, jewelry, handcrafted
Europe to explore fine art. This adventure will take us to England,
wood and furniture, ceramics and glass. We walk around and
Paris, Versailles, Florence, Pompeii, Venice and Milan, to name a
enjoy the creativity everywhere we look. And, in many cases,
few. The Festival and Pageant both run through August 31st and
the artists themselves are there describing the background of a
curtain call for the Pageant is 8:30 p.m. nightly, and I can’t wait!
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Newport Beach Lifestyle | August 2017