A full-scale re-enactment of the Passion of Jesus is returning to Trafalgar Square this Good Friday in central London.
First performed in 2010 by the Wintershall company, the open-air<em> The Passion of Jesus</em> production, commemorating the day Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified by the Romans, before miraculously rising from the dead on Easter Sunday; is brought to life by a cast of over a hundred, dressed in full costume, performing alongside horses, doves and <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/the-donkey-by-gk-chesterton/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">a donkey</mark></a>.<br><br>“We are happy to be bringing the story of Jesus back to the city this year,” says producer Charlotte de Klee, a <mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><a href="https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/22590597.wintershalls-charlotte-de-klee-perfect-surrey-weekend/">church-going cradle Catholic</a></mark>, whose family is behind the religious theatrical endeavour. “This play belongs to London and speaks not only to those of the Christian faith, but to all faiths and traditions and those who have none. Over the years the vast audiences the play has attracted stands as testimony to that.”
The Wintershall company is made up of volunteer actors and stage crew from in and around London and the South East. Secondary school teacher and trained actor Peter Bergin will play Jesus, and the play is directed by Ashley Herman.
The company is part of the privately owned Wintershall Estate, in the heart of the Surrey countryside, where “Peter Hutley and Ann Hutley transformed their stunning estate into the home of epic open-air performances about the life of Jesus”, <a href="https://www.wintershall.org.uk/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">notes</mark></a> the Wintershall website. <br><br>A Catholic, Peter Hutley wrote <em>The Life of Christ,</em> adapted from the Bible, as a one-off production in 1999 to mark the Millennium. It has been performed regularly ever since, along with other religious plays supported by the estate.
In 2004, Hutley received an MBE for services to the community, and was appointed a Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory, while his wife Ann was made a Dame. In 2012 Peter was awarded an OBE “for services to Christian understanding”. Peter passed away on 17 November 2023 and these performances are dedicated to his memory, says the Wintershall company.
It notes that production of the Wintershall religious plays has now “been passed to the next generation of the Hutley family, ensuring that the tradition stays alive”, with the baton "passed to the Hutley’s daughter Charlotte [now de Klee]”.
Performed in the shadow of the National Gallery, <em>The Passion of Jesus</em> regularly attracts more than 20,000 people to its two performances, and its production is supported by the Mayor of London's office.
“<em>The Passion of Jesus </em>welcomes thousands of Londoners of all backgrounds to Trafalgar Square to enjoy a live reenactment of the story of Jesus’s final days and resurrection,”<strong> </strong>says London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “This inspiring performance has become an Easter tradition in the heart of our capital."
This year, <em>The Passion of Jesus </em>will be performed at 12 noon and 3:15 p.m in Trafalgar Square (more details <a href="https://www.wintershall.org.uk/passion-jesus"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">here</mark></a>). Both performances will be livestreamed via <em><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Wintershallplay"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Facebook</mark></a></em> and will subsequently be available to watch on Wintershall’s <mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/wintershallplayers"><em>YouTube</em> channel</a></mark>. <br><br>The Wintershall cast also perform the <em>Life of Christ</em> at the Surrey estate every June (this year: 18-22 June 2024) and the Wintershall <em>Nativity Journey</em> every Christmas (this year: 11-16 December 2024).
“As it takes place in the world-famous space at the heart of the capital it demonstrates the tolerance and diversity found in London,” de Klee says.<br><br><em>Photo: Peter Bergin playing Jesus in 'The Passion of Jesus' by the Wintershall company. (Photo courtesy the Wintershall company). </em>
