A favorite local Easter tradition, the annual Passion Play, is now in its 94th season at the Park Performing Arts Center, at 560 32nd St. in Union City.
The show opened on Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. and will run again on March 29 and April 4 and 5 at the same time. Tickets are available at the door and are $24 for adults and $10 for kids under age 16.
“It’s a real story with power struggles and ulterior motives.” – Carl Gonzalez
________
“It’s a real story with power struggles and ulterior motives,” said Gonzalez, “and quite frankly, you see it repeated over and over again [in real life].” He added that in the past three years as director, he has tried to make the production a little less brutal, the characters more human, and the story more accessible to the audience.
“What I have tried to do is make it more a story about people,” said Gonzalez. “The humanity comes out more, and so, the connection to the audience is stronger because of that.”
The actors, he said, have the challenge of maintaining traditional roles while adding layers to the characters to make them more engaging.
David Murgittroyd, who plays Jesus, said he hopes his portrayal meets the expectations of the audience.
“I find there to be a lot of pressure because obviously, everybody has their ideas of what Jesus should be and what Jesus is,” he said.
The Mary Magdeline of the production, Noelle Tate, said she also had to explore her character.
“I like it because they don’t really know what exactly she did,” she said. “So, just learning about her and trying to make decisions about her for the show was interesting.”
Dan Vissers, the Jersey City resident who plays Judas, said he tried to bring something new to the role.
“I try to show a different side of Judas, maybe a little more sympathetic, more human side,” he said.
Vissers added, “He has a horrible decision that he is forced to face, just like Jesus does and just like Pilate does. They all have these very powerful decisions that they have to make.”
Jersey City resident Bruce Barton said that he does not find it difficult to play an antagonist, Pontius Pilate, and that he even enjoys being able to indulge in emotions and impulses that people normally control.
“We want to be fresh, we want to be modern, but at the same time, we don’t want to be disrespectful to the people who have been coming to see the play for 40 years, so it is an interesting walk we have to take,” said Lewis.
First one for immigrants in 1915
Union City has its first production of the Passion Play in 1915, when parishioners, made up of mostly German and Swiss immigrants, from the nearby Holy Family Church performed it as a gesture for world peace.
“This community was very religious at the turn of the century,” said Gonzalez. He added that the play was one of the religious traditions the immigrants had brought with them.
The production was originally modeled after the Passion Play performed in Oberammergau, Germany since 1634.
“It has been rewritten many times,” said Lewis. “Then, in the ’80s, trying to stay modern and meaningful to younger people, it was turned into a musical.” He said that that added Broadway appeal to the production.
“I think the fact that it was born out of the community is one of the things that kept it going for many years,” said Lewis. He added that the audience was once made up mostly of local community members, but now it encompasses people from all over New Jersey and nearby states.
Gonzalez said that many people take the trip as a pilgrimage.
“I see that it is a religious experience worth defending and promoting,” said Gonzalez.
Amanda Staab can be reached at astaab@hudsonreporter.com.