The Man Born to be King - Hampstead Parish Church

Set of The Man Born to be King

The Man Born to be King is a radio drama series, based on the life of Jesus, written by Dorothy L. Sayers and first broadcast by the BBC in 1941-2. The Hampstead Players adapted and performed the last three of the twelve plays in the cycle, which depicted the final few weeks of Jesus' life, his death and resurrection. I generally avoid seeing or listening to detailed depictions of Jesus's death and the events leading up to it because I find it depressing and upsetting. Yes, I know it ends well, with Jesus rising from the dead etc., but it's still a horrific story. I can't say I 'enjoyed' this play much - particularly the second half - for that reason; it was intense and relentlessly discomforting. But this shows that it was well done. It was very powerful and I have found myself thinking about it a lot since having seen it. The church setting unsurprisingly suited the play really well, and good use was made of the pulpit and other church accoutrements.

The first scene was a great introduction to Judas (Nicolas Holzapfel), and the foreboding music that played as he and Baruch, a zealot (Barney Lyons), took to the stage was perfect. I liked the scenes featuring Baruch and Judas - Baruch enabled one to get a greater insight into Judas' personality and motivations, in addition to being an intriguing character in his own right. The scene at Jesus' trial, when Baruch realises that it was Judas who had betrayed Jesus, was particularly powerful. One of the most emotionally powerful scenes was that in which Judas betrays Jesus to Caiaphas (Harlequin) and Annas, Caiphas' father-in-law (Catherine Martin). Caiphas and Annas worked extremely well together throughout the play. Caiaphas' eccentricity contrasted effectively with Annas' calm, superior demeanour. Judas was portrayed successfully as an extremely intense tortured soul.

Jesus...I was looking forward to seeing the interpretation of the play's protagonist. I wasn't disappointed. Alessandro Predari looked exactly right for the part (well, he was how I imagine Jesus to look like, anyway), with black hair and beard and a kind face and gentle demeanour. Tall and very thin, he had an otherwordly, ethereal presence. But there was a sense of strength and dignity about him that came across particularly well in the trial scene. It was believable that people wanted to follow him. Even I, in the audience, craved Jesus' approval.

The Last Supper and Gethsemane scenes - very intense*. Was anxious for Judas to change his mind, but knew it wouldn't happen. The disciples do screw up a lot (the characters, not the actors). I can't claim that I definitely would not have denied Jesus, but I think I would at least have managed to stay awake with him in the garden.

The trial and death scenes were performed to great effect. I've never felt much sympathy towards Pilate (David Gardner), but in this play he is shown as doing absolutely everything he could possibly do to save Jesus. It was good to get a greater sense of his personality and I enjoyed his interactions with Flavius, his clerk (Hoda Ali). The bit where Jesus, on the cross, asks John (Moray Jones) to be a son to Mary (Natasha Blumenthal) and she to be a mother to John was very moving.

I know it can't be easy for an amateur company to obtain high quality, authentic costumes, and I'm truly thankful that this play wasn't performed in modern dress - or, god forbid WWI or WW2 garb, which seems to be popular nowadays (see 55 Days by Howard Brenton) - but I wasn't keen on the black leggings visible under many of the tunics, or the overtly modern sandals. The soldiers' outfits were good, as were those of the Sanhedrin. However, I felt that the scene in which an anguished Judas repents of his betrayal of Jesus in front of the Sanhedrin, was diminished by Caiphas' tunic coming undone at the top and displaying his bare chest. Not seemly for the High Priest of Israel!!

This was a looooooooong play - three hours including an interval - making it either the second or third longest play I've ever seen. I thought the second half could have been cut down by fifteen minutes or so, by taking out one of the scenes featuring the Sanhedrin. I would have preferred more of a focus on Jesus and the disciples towards the end; I felt that the scene in which Jesus appeared to the disciples was rather rushed. I wanted Thomas to feature more! However, the play remained compelling and engaging nonetheless. 

*Sorry, word overuse.

Next: Definitely at least one more thing before the end of the year.