Could one man really transport us back to the Jerusalem of two thousand years ago?
Could he really play the part of several characters – convincingly?
Yes he could, and did!
Mark Topping is a professional actor and with his skills, and a gripping script written by his father Frank Topping, he managed to seize our imaginations and take us into a different world, and all with no scenery, the minimum of props and a quick change of costume by adding a cloak here, a hoodie there, or a sash for perceived splendour.He employed a variety of accents that took us unawares and made us think – such as the apostle John sporting a leather jacket and a Liverpudlian accent.
The language of the script took a couple of minutes to absorb and tune into: was it the flowery language of Shakespeare or the rich tones of the King James version of the Bible we were hearing? Neither in fact, but the monologues were so descriptive and powerful that they took hold of our minds and drew detailed scenes that were in our heads not actually in front of us.
This was serious drama. A servant of the high priest observed how Jesus had been condemned to death. A scribe witnessed the walk Jesus made to his crucifixion. Simon of Cyrene talked about how he was drafted in to carry the cross: in the wrong place at the wrong time, or in the right place? Roman soldiers gave their account of the moment Jesus gave up his spirit, and they realised that here was no ordinary man and he died no ordinary death.
Then in the second half of the play Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty and we caught the excitement as different characters witnessed the resurrected Son of God. He bade goodbye on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, promising to return. Not a scary ghost but the Lord of heaven.
Ancient manuscripts have been found that speak of the life of Jesus as an historical figure, apart from the accounts in the Bible. So we were challenged to look at these events and make up our minds who Jesus was and is.