'Follow the Star' Performances Still Shining Bright

Most of the cast changed from performance to performance, and real babies were used despite being exposed the elements, but "Follow the Star," a living nativity performed for the past 14 years is still going strong.

Telling the story of the birth of Jesus, the 7 p.m. performance on Sunday night was the 250th performance since Brian Andre dreamed up the idea after he noticed the back of the building on Altisima Road seemed to present a natural setting for such a production.

Yet Andre said that it's not just church members who have performed in the show. Members of the Muslim and Jewish faith have been involved, and last year two homeless men were part of the production. It is designed to be a community production, and about one-third of the approximate 300 people who are involved in each year's production are not of the Mormon faith.

The role of Mary is almost always portrayed by a teen girl, and teens also fill the roles of shepherds and the angel. Yet one constant is Rick Denus of Mission Viejo, who has been Joseph in all but one show. One time he advised Andre that he might be late, and so an understudy went on instead, but Denus was present for the performance "so he still gets credit," Andre said.

Real animals are used in the performances, including a horse, donkey, and sheep. So are real babies, who are wrapped up tight in swaddling clothes—as it should be.

Sunday marked the end of the three-day run of performances, which were free to the public and hosted by the Santa Margarita Stake of the LDS.