Manchester Passion
| Manchester Passion | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Stephen Powell |
| Starring | Keith Allen, Darren Morfitt |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Stephen Powell[1] |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Three |
| Original release | 14 April 2006 (Good Friday) |
The Manchester Passion is a passion play about the last hours of Jesus, retold using a backdrop of the contemporary music of Manchester, England.
The event took place on the streets of Manchester, and aired live on BBC Three on Good Friday, 14 April 2006.[2]
The event was created by the same people who created Flashmob: The Opera; also aired on BBC Three.
A similar event, staging the Nativity of Jesus in Liverpool was shown on the BBC at Christmas 2007.
The Passion, a Dutch adaptation by Christian public broadcaster EO and Roman Catholic public broadcaster RKK was staged in Gouda in 2011, on the eve of Good Friday 2011. It featured well known Dutch language songs. It proved such a success that new versions were staged and broadcast in Rotterdam on 5 April 2012, The Hague on 28 March 2013, Groningen on 17 April 2014 and Enschede on 2 April 2015. The next edition will be staged in Amersfoort, on 24 March 2016.
Cast
- Presenter/Pontius Pilate - Keith Allen
- Peter - Nicholas Bailey
- Judas Iscariot - Tim Booth
- Jesus - Darren Morfitt
- Mary - Denise Johnson
- Barabbas - Chris Bisson
- Criminal in van - Bez
- Himself - Anthony Wilson
Songs
- Morrissey - "You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side"
- Oasis - "Cast No Shadow"
- Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
- M People - "Search for the Hero"
- The Smiths - "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (performed by Judas Iscariot as he betrays Jesus)
- James - "Sit Down"
- New Order - "Blue Monday"
- The Stone Roses - "I Am the Resurrection" (the majority of the song was sung by Peter after the arrest of Jesus, with the line "I Am the Resurrection" being sung by Jesus as a climax to the play)
- Robbie Williams - "Angels"
- Oasis - "Wonderwall"
- Elkie Brooks - "Sunshine After the Rain"
- Happy Mondays - "Hallelujah" (instrumental)
- Buzzcocks - "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" (instrumental)
- 808 State - "Pacific 202" (instrumental)
- Black Grape - "In the Name of the Father" (instrumental)
Trivia
- When Jesus is picking up his barm cake from the van, the server is reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, the controversial novel that raises ideas about Jesus' life. He was served by Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records.
- The program promo featured a 1969 Mercury Cougar driving past churches in Manchester. It was originally to be driven by Bez (Happy Mondays); Bez left before filming was completed and the driving was done by the vehicle's owner instead.
References
- ↑ Kirby, Dean (15 February 2007). "Easter marked with a passion". Manchester Evening News.
- ↑ "Manchester re-enacts Crucifixion". BBC News. 15 April 2006.