He Has Risen: The Wintershall Players The Passion of Christ
Good Friday, Trafalgar Square, the life of Jesus….Vividly staged each year (COVID permitting) in London and around the UK, the Wintershall Players speak the words of the Gospels about the life of Christ dramatically against a scenic London backdrop. There are also props.. of which more later…
This was my most ‘normal’ pre-COVID style event since Pandemic times began and the press and squash of crowds did panic me a bit. An aunty behind me was cheekily using me as a camera tripod to film the event — the perils for being smaller and at the front! Dress well as it could be very hot (as on Good Friday afternoon) or rain or anything really — also be prepared to stand for an hour and a half! It was beautifully sunny this 2022….
But there are gems along the way to make up for the discomfort. If you get there earlier enough you get to sit on the steps infront of the National Gallery side of Trafalgar Square — people were told to sit down this year to allow everyone to see. A new feature was the tomb which also acted as a kind of off-stage — so beware of being tomb side, you see more of the cast preparing but less of the actual action as this was very centralised this year. Previous years didn’t have the tomb and utilised the whole square. But there are always big screens if you do get a bad viewing spot or a nine foot guy infront of you!
The production changes every year — each year I’ve seen it there seem to be less miracles. Interestingly, this year focused much more on the women — the women going to the tomb and going to tell the men what had happened, Jesus’s conversation with Mary and commending his mother to John the disciple’s care, the Roman centurion stopping the women who followed Jesus going forward to be with him. The stage was super smokey this year!!! (which obscured the screen).
It is wonderful to see Jesus story brought to life — he enters ‘Jerusalem’ riding on an actual donkey! There’s normally one Roman on a real horse; this year — two Romans and two real horses (and a conversation on them). Pontius Pilot literally did wash his hands of the people’s verdict of Jesus’s condemnation in a bowl of water. We also saw Jesus’s feet washed by Mary and his washing of the disciples at the Last Supper. We get a sense of what it was like to follow Jesus around and try to work out what he was doing, why and often miss the point entirely, arguing amongst themselves.
Eavesdropping on the Jewish leaders and Roman officials conversations, we get the sense of how much Jesus threatened some of the Jewish leaders authority and position, as well as potentially toppling Roman occupying power. The cleansing of the Temple was brilliantly portrayed, as well as Judas’s avarice and betrayal as Judas is shown trying to bully Mary for wasting perfume on anointing Jesus — stopped in his tracks by Jesus, incidentally.
There was a fight between disciples and Romans at the time of Jesus arrest in this drama — with some ending up in the fountains! Harrowingly, we see Jesus’s suffering for us — his brutalising by the Romans (the sound of the whipping is horrendous), and he staggers with the humiliation of the Cross up the steps of the square, until helped by a ‘volunteer’ from the audience to carry it. Astoundingly Jesus and the two criminals are hoisted up on crosses infront of Nelson’s Column, and we experience Jesus’s death and burial (with an impatient Roman getting everyone up and down — even the arguing and forgiveness of the thief on the cross next to Jesus). We see too the shame of Jesus (who had done nothing wrong) being mocked — even the argument about what should go on the shameful sign around his neck. Jesus is buried in the tomb, which is sealed over with an enormous rolled ‘stone’ and guarded by Roman soldiers (who, if there’s any doubt that Jesus wasn’t truly dead, would have lost their lives if he ‘got out’). Joseph of Arimathea and the disciples prepare Jesus’s body for burial and he is carried to be placed inside Joseph’s own personal tomb.
What next? The disciples come and steal the body? Jesus wasn’t really hammered onto a cross, suffocated or pierced by a lance to check that he was dead, he wasn’t really tortured nor was he submitted to a sacrificial atoning death for us all — he just jumps up having faked his own death? He ran off and married Mary Magdalen? No!!! Amazingly the ‘stone’ is rolled away independently, and the empty tomb is discovered by the women (with neatly folded graves clothes inside), who run off to tell the men (who don’t believe them at first). Behold, Jesus is resurrected by his obedience, the Father’s will and the Spirit’s power on the steps near the National Gallery and is challenged by an unconvinced Thomas — gives us some wonderful teaching and then reconciled with disciples who had deserted him, like Peter.
At the end Bishop Sarah and a Ukrainian minister prayed for us and the world.
Over time I think the events of the Gospels have been simplified in the drama — whilst I miss more of the miracles, what we get more of is arguing disciples, Peter trying to save Jesus and Jesus restoring a wounded Roman soldier; Martha confesses that her sister (another Mary) is doing the better part — praying and listening to God than being busy with things first (we don’t get Martha going off on one against Mary here) and Jesus’s kindness, authority and amazingly, going off to pray alone with Father God on two precariously balanced tables. Additionally, we also get the Jewish side of Jesus with the sung priestly blessing played behind the Last Supper — previously Jesus said this.
This year I was a bit more distracted — the tomb did make it harder to see things, I was a bit panicked because of the squash, and in a team effort when a lady fainted next to me — her family and I held her up whilst an amazing lady helped the faintee to get her hat and coat off and produced a bottle of water. A one woman St John’s Ambulance service! Medics did arrive — there are lots of stewards around, and helped the lady get some space and air. There was also much more stage smoke than usual! which obscured everything at points. But it brings its Middle Eastern setting to life and varies each year — previous years Jesus has definitely let the little children be near him — maybe social distancing or casting led to a change in story presentation this year…
Would really urge anyone who can to go and see it — or watch the Facebook livestream — https://www.facebook.com/Wintershallplay/videos/5274985669199607
A recording is also now on YouTube of the live event — https://youtu.be/VcAalyvtUSU
The events (twice in Trafalgar Square) and also at other locations are free; there is usually a collection — this year for Ukraine.
And to learn more — https://www.onegoodfriday.com/
