A STUNNING re-enactment of the crucifixion came to Worcester on Good Friday (April 15) as the cast of Worcester’s Passion Play shone in the Cathedral Square sunshine.
This performance was third time lucky for the cast after the 2020 and 2021 performances were axed because of the pandemic.
The play featured a retelling of the Last Supper, Judas’s betrayal and Jesus’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The cast were kitted out in authentic attire from the era, and props included Roman spears and soldiers on horseback.
A packed crowd revelled in the performance, with some standing on top of the Sir Edward Elgar statue to catch a glimpse.
They responded overwhelmingly positively when asked over the microphone if they wanted the Passion Play to become an annual event.
Ollie Ward, who works at Regents Theological College in Malvern, took the role Jesus Christ for smash-hit performance.
He said: “The main challenge is to get together such a big cast.
“Very few of us are professional actors – three of us have done training at Malvern’s Regents college but the majority have never even been on stage before and we’re all working other jobs.”
The ambitious play featured Jesus being tied to a 15ft cross by rope.
Ollie added: “It was a very challenging moment. I was very nervous, partly because we couldn’t rehearse it until this morning.
“The scale of it was quite a big undertaking for us all.”
The committee are currently planning for next year’s performance and are looking into ways to raise funds.
Visit www.gofundme.com/f/worcester-passion-play-ltd to donate to the Passion Play on Good Friday 2023.
