The crowd silently watched the last hours of Jesus Christ’s life unfold before their eyes last night in the sanctuary of Christ the King Catholic Church.
Members of Christ the King performed the third-annual depiction of the “Passion of Jesus Christ” to a mixture of students, parishioners, high school students and youth group members from across Baton Rouge.
The play began with Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem and ended with his crucifixion and burial, all within the sanctuary of the church.
Many members of the audience said the plain backdrop and sparse setting actually made the play more effective.
Leslie Spiller, an art history freshman, said she enjoyed the passion’s representation.
“I like the way it was so simple,” she said.
Spiller said the reaction of Mary, Jesus’ mother, was especially touching for her.
David Merrick, a political communication sophomore, said he believes the simplicity of the production made the message of the Passion even stronger.
“I thought it said a lot with a few words,” he said.
For Merrick, the scene with the crowd calling out to crucify Jesus was the most touching scene in the show.
The actors incorporated the audience into the play, running down the aisles and greeting them with the words “Jesus is here.”
Jill Huckabee, a biological sciences sophomore, is the director of the play.
She said her main goal for the play is for every audience member to benefit from the performance of the Passion as she has.
“It has helped me see it from a different point of view,” she said.
Huckabee said she encourages audience members and the cast to let the play speak to them in a personal way.
“It’s going to affect you in a different way every time,” she said.
Nathan Torrey, a university studies sophomore who plays Jesus Christ in the play, said he has similar hopes for the production.
“We’re doing it to get people interested in the Gospel,” he said.
Torrey said his role as Jesus already has affected him and the rest of the cast.
“It gets us in the mindset that this is a season of sacrifice,” he said. “It makes it more real for us.”
Jenny Duckworth, a university studies junior, said the play is a good preparation for the Lenten season.
“It reminds me of what Jesus did for me,” she said.
Torrey and Duckworth referred to the period before Easter that Catholics refer to as Lent. It is a time of fasting and repentance, which Catholics believe prepares their hearts for a celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. They celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Mel Gibson had the same idea when he released his version of the Passion on Feb. 25. It opened in movie theaters to sold-out crowds across the nation.
Torrey said he hopes the church’s Passion play will touch people in the same way Gibson’s movie portraying Christ’s passion has.
Christ the King’s production is — in a way — more real than Gibson’s because of the live cast, Torrey said.
Huckabee said Gibson’s version of the Passion is more graphic and realistic.
“Ours is more of a soft knocking at your heart,” she said.
She said the cast and crew have been practicing the play twice a week since early March.
The group will be performing the Passion play again tonight at 7 p.m. at Christ the King. Everyone is invited and admission is free, with a reception following the show.