‘Ramona Pageant’ Returning for Three Weekends in Hemet

With a mountainside and a 6,600-plus-seat natural amphitheater as its stage,”The Ramona Pageant,” a family theater tradition since 1923, returns to the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley for three weekends, April 29 through May 14.

This epic production, set in 1850s California and based on Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel about fictional tragic lovers Ramona and Allesandro, dramatizes life and strife among Native Americans, Mexican rancheros and white settlers from the East.

And, while the spectacular about an interracial romance and prejudices had long been faulted for romanticizing Jackson’s novel and historic facts, some changes for authenticity were made in 1995, under the pageant’s new artistic director, Dennis Anderson, who continues to direct the drama.

This huge Official California State Outdoor Play features a cast of more than 400 actors, singers, dancers and horsemen, a Mexican adobe ranch and a Native American settlement.

Last year’s lead actors, Cesaria Hernandez and Vincent Whipple, who is of Navajo and Lakota heritage, return for a second season as the star-crossed lovers. Warning: With seating in the sun, water, sunscreen and hats are advised.

BE THERE

“The Ramona Pageant,” Ramona Bowl, 27400 Ramona Bowl Road, Hemet. Saturdays and Sundays, 3:30 p.m., April 29-May 14. $14-$25. (800) 645-4465 or https://www.ramonapageant.com