The pilgrimage of the passion play

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Monday April 16, 2012 00:00

This Saturday, the audience that turned up for the English version experienced just what the director promised.

The experience is fashioned like a pilgrimage of sorts for the audience, who were met at the entrance by a traditional-dance costume wearing shepherd (played by an adorable Amantle Nteta) who silently leads the audience on a path meandering between the hillocks, directing them to places where they can get umbrellas and cushioned-stools.  As the crowd follows the silent shepherd, members of the cast (dressed in white) scream and laugh at the audience succeeding in both raising the suspense for what follows and lending people the experience of what the bible says Christ went through as he was led to his crucifixion.

The play, dedicated to fathers and sons, was presented in three scenarios in which relationships between fathers and sons were tested, resulting with the characters burdened with the guilt and despair mirroring the cross that Jesus is said to have carried.  The first scenario shows a family of an upper-middle class in turmoil as the father (Gabriel French) has lost everything the family owns in a shady deal with government. At the beginning, the son (Theo Nchindo) is more concerned about whether he will be able to make it to a fancy private school in South Africa, but as his family falls apart around him, he attempts to comfort his father and to reassure him of his support.  He is left all alone as his father disappears without a word and his mother (Lesego Nchunga) and sister (Bridgette Balondi) leave the country.  His burden is essentially that of living up to his family name and showing courage where his father showed cowardice.

The most touching of the situations was the second, in which a proud father (Modungwa Mothibi) quickly turns villainous when he discovers pictures of son (Heath Lambert) kissing a man.  Suddenly the familial pride, and the touching moments when father gives son a watch from his grandfather and says he always knew he was special: all these disappear as the father says he cannot condone his son's 'vile acts.'  After the son commits suicide, the father says he read the bible and could not find the hate with which he had been taught to treat homosexuals.

His burden is his guilt of not accepting his son for what he is.  In the third situation, a dead son (Bokamoso Makole) stirs up trouble in his father's (Bonny Banks) and stepmother's (Tatiana Almeida) marriage, resulting in the remorseless father killing his wife.

The play culminates at a scene with a rather harrowing fight between Jesus (Onkemetse Sebenyane) and soldiers, which led to Jesus' crucifixion.  The experience continued with cast members washing audience members' feet and the audience encouraged to share their transgressions in 'confession boxes.'

The Passion Play continues as part of the Maitisong Festival.  It will continue on April 21st and 28th (English versions) and April 22nd and 29th (Setswana versions). Tickets are on sale for P200.