St Mary's Church in the Lace Market.
First off, let me give you an indication of just how popular this show was. I arrived at seven o clock for a seven thirty start, and the queue leading from the doors of St Mary's Church snaked right back to past the Galleries Of Justice, blocking the doorways of the restaurants. The church was packed out.
This could be the most famous and beloved story ever written and is certainly the most well known story taught in schools. The Easter Story. The sections of the Bible that tell of Jesus’ final days of suffering and death are commonly referred to as the “Passion narratives” or his “Passion”, and as this story is performed in Nottingham, it's called "The Nottingham Passion" following on from previous tears when performed in Hucknall, Newark and Southwell, the town then prefixing "Passion".
What better place to hold a story about Jesus than in a church, and the story of Jesus Christ is steeped in theatricality, so the two are a match made in, dare I say, heaven.
People flock to see Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar", not just for the brilliant soundtrack, but for the story itself, and without Lloyd-Webber/Rice's music, the story is just as dynamic, just as emotive and just as exciting.
I'll admit that I'm not overly religious, and you don't need to be, to be able to enjoy this powerful production in this incredible and beautiful setting. Both the show and the church will take your breath away.
Directed by, and is the brainchild of, James Pacey, himself a Church of England Priest currently working as a chaplain at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, so is well versed in both fields of story telling, and what a story it is to tell. The presentation was paced perfectly, leaving gaps to create tension, especially with some of Jesus' speeches, creating just the right amount of impact. Using the aisle and back of the church also created an immersive feel, almost as if you were part of the crowd within certain scenes.
Jesus is played by Simon Carter. Now I know that every actor will play a certain role different to the other, but Simon did not go down the angry route; this Jesus was scared, puzzled as to why God had not protected him, and the emotional side of the man (Jesus) really emerged. The only anger scene was when Jesus cleared the merchants from the courtyard. Simon showed the pain of bearing the cross in his face and you believed the weight that he was carrying, physically and metaphorically.
Ade Andrews, aka Ezekial Bone, who you may also know as Nottingham's very own Robin Hood, plays Judas Escariot, and again we see a very emotional performance. I've seen some Judas' played angrily when identifying Jesus to the guards, but in this performance there was a reluctance to deceive his teacher, and this casts a very different light on both men, Jesus and Judas. We don't see the torturing of Judas' mind after the fact, or his suicide, and that's fine because we can use our imagination if we want those gory details.
Becky Bloor, who played Peter, is a very natural actor and I enjoyed the fleet denial scene as well as the scene earlier when questioning why Jesus was bathing the feet of others.
In many productions, mainly musical productions of this story, I can't really remember the presence of Mary, Jesus' mother, and Jacky Tivers who played this role presented a very maternal role, needing to be with her son as he was on his way to the crucifixion; a really emotional scene.
I also enjoyed watching Iain Turner as Pontius Pilate, passing the buck and literally washing his hands of the whole episode.
This was a big cast, over thirty, with some recognisable local actors like Luke Topping (Noah), Jason Wrightam (Gamaliel/Guard) and Alistair Langton (Simon of Cyrene/Guard), but then there were some faces I'd not seen on stage before, despite knowing them personally, like Heather Moore (Salome), and the biggest surprise to me, and I had to check the programme to make sure I was correct, Alan Geary (John The Baptist), who I knew of his acting history, but great to see him performing, albeit a minor role. Altogether a wonderful ensemble piece.
The lighting was atmospheric, at times the church was swathed in blue and red and purple. The lighting also created shadows presenting an eerier feel to some of the action. Sound wise, there were a few missed cues but apart from that the acoustics for this type of show were perfect and every word could be heard. The technical crew consisted of James White, Francis Shepherd and Service AV.
"The Nottingham Passion" is only on until Saturday 1 April, and if there are any tickets available, they will be from cancellations, so would be best to check first before turning up, but is well worth the opportunity to see this beautiful and emotive piece of work.
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