Sunday, April 08, 2012

The Passion Play

The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square took place this Good Friday.
The crowds gathered in the thousands in front of the National Gallery.
The narrator starts the story off.
While the Roman soldiers marched through the crowds to occupy.
The crowds are busy and waving palm branches.
Then Jesus arrived on a live donkey.
The show is being shot on film and projected on a giant screen in the square.
The crowds follow Jesus wherever he goes.
The Pharisees are worried (disciples in blue).
They confronted Jesus. At this point I put my camera down to watch for a while. There is a lame boy who crawls along the path through the audience who is made to walk. There is a young woman with leprosy who Jesus washes with water from the fountain and healed. There is the turning of tables in the temple where a basket full of pigeons is opened and the birds all fly to nearby buildings.
Then the last supper takes place and Jesus speaks in a way that makes you hear it for the first time along with his disciples.
He tells them he must leave them.
And speaks to Simon Peter.
Then he leaves them to pray.
And goes to the Garden of Gethsemane
where he finally accepts his fate.
He is arrested and led before the Pharisees
and Pontius Pilate
who questions the Pharisees
and Jesus.
The crowd demand that Jesus be killed.
Barabbas is brought out
but after much yelling of the crowds he is set free.
Jesus is flogged
and the Pharisees insist he be killed.
The crown of thorns is placed upon his head.
And the King of the Jews sign.
And he is made to pick up his cross and carry it. 
Simon Peter watches in anguish.
The crowds try to get at him either to jeer or to weep.
He slowly and in great anguish carries his cross through the crowd towards the gallery.
My neck is completely seized so I am unable to turn around and see what is happening. I take pictures of the cast watching Jesus.
The first convict is strung up on a set of 3 crosses.
It is dramatic against the London city scape.
The second criminal.
Then Jesus is strung up after having his hands nailed to the wood.
It is dramatic to be in Trafalgar square with thousands of people and see 3 large crosses with people hanging on them.
 
His feet are nailed in place.
He speaks to the criminal next to him and tells him that this day he will be with him paradise.
Then he dies. A Roman soldier stabs his side with a spear.
The crowd is still there.
Jesus' body is brought down from the cross.
While the Pharisees leave.
Mary holds Jesus. 
And his body is wrapped.
He is then carried
to the tomb
and the stone is rolled in place.
The other bodies are also removed.
In 3 days three women come to anoint the body.
Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty and sits nearby.
Jesus speaks to her and she recognizes him.
He reveals himself to his disciples.
To Simon Peter.
A chance photo with a bird flying by.
He speaks to the crowd then ascends up the stairs towards the gallery.
It has quite the impact seeing it live and in the flesh.
Jesus the actor is surrounded by fans even after half an hour (when this shot was taken).

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