Cathedral to host modern Passion play
The faithful can experience the vibrant musical drama “No Greater Love,” celebrating the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, on March 24 at 4 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
The play is a production of the Xavier Company, a unique group of performing artists in residence at St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City who perform original works focused on themes of faith and social justice.
Professionally trained actors, singers, and dancers, under the direction of Dr. Carol Ferrone and Gerard DeMan, perform original works focused on themes of faith and social justice.
Pasqualino Beltempo and Nikki Casseri play the roles of Jesus and Mary, respectively. It also features Dorothy Dobkowski, Benjamin Culpepper, Leo Grinberg, Annie Lewis, Brandon Schraml, Rebekah Rawhouser, and Tony Bartoli on percussion.
“All the actors are Catholic, and it’s their mission to bring this story that changed the world alive,” said Father Bismarck Chau, pastor of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Father Chau grew up performing in Passion plays and even performed in the archdiocese’s infamous Union City production. After seeing “No Greater Love” in Montclair at the start of Lent last year, he immediately booked a date at the Cathedral. He booked them again for this year, hopefully making the production a tradition for the faithful of the area.
“The Church has always used art to reflect God’s love for us. The Passion play dramatizes the Gospels and brings them alive for us,” Father Chau said. He hopes the audience feels a deeper connection to Holy Week after seeing the play.
Founded in 1982, The Xavier Company is celebrating its 42nd anniversary of performing arts ministry in the tri-state area. The Xavier Company is renowned for performances that display both spiritual content and artistic excellence, and also performs Advent dramas. The cathedral hosted “An Advent Carol,” the Catholic musical celebration, last year.
“No Greater Love” has received positive reviews from critics. Writing for The Ecumenist, Father John Kelly called it “an impressive and moving rendition of the passion which qualifies as a hymn of reconciliation.” Father Kelly, who has reviewed over 30 Passion plays around the world, also lauded “No Greater Love” for its multicultural cast while noting that the play is free of the anti-Semitic overtones found in some other Passion plays.
Passion plays originated in the 14th century by the Catholic Church from the tradition of singing the Gospels in different parts on Good Friday. They were first performed in Latin and later in German and other vernacular languages. In time, the plays evolved to be more dramatic than liturgical in form, involving elaborate props and well-rehearsed action by up to 200 actors. Later, other Christian groups began to write and perform Passion plays.
The play is free to attend.
