Easter Mystery plays reenacting the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ go back to the Medieval period.
But did you know there’s an annual free production held on Good Friday in London’s Trafalgar Square, and it is streaming now on social media? (See below.)
The Daily Express attended the second performance yesterday afternoon, where we sat for over 90 minutes alongside a crowd of thousands.
The Wintershall theatre company Easter event kicked off with a spoken word whistle-stop tour through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, before a gospel choir took to the stage.
Then came The Passion of Jesus play, beginning with Palm Sunday. Audience members were invited to participate in welcoming Christ to Jerusalem as the actor playing the Messiah rode into the centre of the square on a donkey.
This chirpy and hearty take on the person of Christ spars with the Pharisees, while his colourfully dressed disciples act out parables as he narrates. The large cast, including Roman centurions and Pilate riding a horse, movingly took us through the Last Supper, arrest and trial before Jesus is forced to carry his cross through the crowds. Lifted high on a cross as a substitute for the sins of the world, next to two thieves under Nelson’s Column, Jesus breathes his last before being placed in the nearby constructed tomb by his followers.
That is before, three days later, when Christ resurrects joyfully, to prove the atonement had worked and his victory over death for all who trust in him by faith. Just wait for his sudden appearance on the other side of the square – almost miraculous!
To find out more about Wintershall’s award-winning open-air dramas, click here.