An intricate script brought to life by multidimensional performances
The Devil’s Passion, written and performed by Justin Butcher, showing at The Playground Theatre, innovatively challenges the traditional way in which the story of Jesus is told.
The staging was simple, with prominent colours of black and red, and a projector that provided an image of a landscape. Even though lacking props, the stage served its purpose of looking like a warlike modern zone.
Justin Butcher appeared in a suit at a podium, giving a speech. His speech was addressed to other nations as if at an Assembly of the United Nations. Interestingly, his speech drew a lot of references to Tony Blair, but mostly to Bush’s address on America’s war on terror. What was very intriguing was that Jesus was portrayed as a terrorist and the main culprit of the conflict in the Middle East. From that point I knew that The Devil’s Passion would be an intriguing play. Justin Butcher kept on affirming Jesus’ extremist ideology, while his followers being seen as perpetrators with a fanatic ideology, who needed to be defeated. This opening of the play reaffirms the reality of how politics works. It also provides satirical nuances to the rather dramatic counterterrorism operation that the opening ponders on.
The Devil’s Passion also serves as an educative play; it is about the lyrical storytelling of the Bible. Justin Butcher does a brilliant role in guiding the audience through the trajectory of Jesus’ birth till his Crucification. At points it is difficult to follow the timeframe of the play, as there is a fast-paced action. Nevertheless, when focusing on certain topics like The Healing of the Bleeding Woman, Zacchaeus, or Juda’s betrayal, one can feel the emotional tension on the stage. This tension is further intensified through the usage of biblical citations like “Your faith has made you whole” or “ I am in you and you are in me “.
The script is very strong and well elaborated as it provides a clear image of the characters and of the historical context of that time. One can close their eyes and imagine the Roman Occupation, the oppression, the division of poor and rich civilians, all under the beautiful landscape of Jerusalem and the Middle Eastern land.
Justin Butcher deserves all the accolades for 90 minute long, breathtaking performance. There are not a lot of actors who can play multi-dimensional roles and switch between characters so fluently. Justin Butcher managed to play Jesus, Judas, the Devil and many more characters, including animals like Pigs and Eagles, with real artistry. He managed to pull off a range of intricate emotions and stay loyal to the personality traits and emotional standing of all roles played. Even Mary’s conception of Jesus and Judas’s inner torment are acted with great precision and clarity. I would never think that I could watch a whole play with just an actor and be so enchanted by his acting.
Even though it’s brilliant script, the ending felt a bit too rushed. Lots of sequences of events were quickly recited while some were too detailed. An example to the former is the Gethsemane and of the latter the Cleansing of the Temple parts of the plot.
The Devil’s Passion is a play that proves that even Biblical gospels can be told and acted in a modern and clear way. This has been achieved by drawing a link to the past and the present. A highly enjoyable play worth seeing that will challenge your understanding of modern politics through a religious lens.