St. Thomas' 36th Annual Passion Play - My Review

The Mission Statement of the St. Thomas Passion Play is very clear.

"We are a community of people from various places, walks of life, and religious expressions of Christian faith who gather under the auspices of Saint Thomas Parish to reenact the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the “Passion Play”.  Our goal is to build the Christian community of Southington through the gathering of prayer, by producing a theatrical offering of thanksgiving to God by using our talents for His Glory and for the sake of the Gospel. We wish to accomplish this by offering a safe, dignified, respectful and loving community. All who wish to participate in this prayer are welcome. No one will be judged for where they are in their walk with the Lord. We discriminate against no one. We value all aspects of participation, and every sacrifice made to our common goal. We do not offer our identities in either our public literature or to the media. We seek to offer a true and heart-filled prayer to God in thanks for the offering of His Son, as well as the blessing of community through the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit."

So this review will be very different from the norm and very general in nature. I was very impressed with the quality of this prayerful two-hour production presented in the school auditorium.  Twenty-one scenes take the audience on a biblical journey that begins with the birth of the Savior, through His ministry and the events of Holy Week, and finally His Resurrection.

A large group of adult actors perform the familiar events of Christ's life, while an even larger chorus and youth ensembles (A&B) back them up. Of course the youngest member of cast (which included one actual baby) were adorable.

The action is mixed with musical numbers of carefully chosen contemporary Christian music, some performed by the choruses and some by a small group of pit singers. All are accompanied by a seven piece orchestra in the pit. "Heaven on Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar and "Exult You Just Ones" by Roc O'Connor were two I recognized.

The actors make use of the entire space, especially the center of the cross formed by the aisles. Sitting on the side bleachers made it easier to see all the action. There were some beautiful set changes when needed and the requisite crosses. The lighting was extremely well-done for this space; especially the mood set for the Garden of Gethsemane and the tableau of "The Last Supper." The storm that followed Jesus' death was also pretty impressive.

All of the actors and singers gave a wonderfully prayerful and inspiring performance. Thank you to everyone who helped present the 36th annual Passion Play.

PASSION PLAY TICKETS

Listed below are the contact names and phone numbers to obtain tickets for Saint Thomas’ 36th Annual Passion Play.

Diane 860-628-4197 Jean 860-628-7913

Lois 860-621-0411 Ginny 860-628-4628

Janet 860-621-6347

Performances

Monday April 14 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday April 15 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday April 16 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday April 18 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are FREE but you need one to get in. Donations can be given after the two hour performance. Get there early because it is General Admission.

 From The Waterbury Area:

1.      Follow I-84 East to exit 30, "Marion Avenue"

2.      Turn left at the end of the new ramp.

3.      Turn right at the next traffic light.

4.      Appx 100 yards there is a new traffic light, go straight across.

5.      Follow appx. 3/4 mile to center of Plantsville.

6.      Bear left (more straight than left actually) at light. Bank is on the right. (You are actually on Route 10 North)

7.      Follow appx. 3/4 mile to left turn onto "Bristol Street".

8.      St. Thomas Church / School are appx. 3/4 mile on right.