Launched in Jamaica during Easter, 1979, Easton Lee’s The Rope And The Cross strayed from Biblical norms, with the Jamaican-ization of mankind’s greatest betrayal — between Jesus Christ and his disciple, Judas Iscariot.
For its 40th anniversary renewal on April 21 at The New Vibe Lounge in Long Island, New York, actor/playwright David Heron called on two women, Joanna Pickering and Marsha-Ann Hay, to play King Herod and Pontius Pilate, respectively.
Pickering is from the United Kingdom; Hay is Jamaican.
Heron, whose work includes the hit plays Against His Will and Ecstasy, followed Lee’s lead in terms of innovation. Where Lee put a Jamaican spin on the period leading to Jesus’ crucifixion, Heron presents a female side to two controversial figures who played key roles in Christ’s death.
“Herod and Pilate are always historically and dramatically portrayed as men, and in previous incarnations of The Rope and The Cross, that was no different. But when I looked at the script again as we were deciding to do it, it really struck me how much the role and the status of women has changed since the play was first performed, and since the time of the events depicted in the story,” Heron explained. “I thought it would be really interesting to have the fate of Christ being determined by two women of power. Easton was totally on board with the idea, and that was all I needed to hear.”
Early in his career, Heron appeared as High Priest Caiphas in The Rope And The Cross, which is a Jamaican theater standard. The country’s leading actors including Leonie Forbes and Gary Harvey, have appeared in it.
In addition to Hay and Pickering, the cast is: Nixon Cesar (Jesus), Emilio Evans (Judas), Candice McKoy (mother of Judas), Fleurette Harris (Mary, mother of Jesus), Lincoln Brown (narrator/shepherd), Kevin Elden (High Priest Annas), Fulton Hodges (The Blind One), Hector Lincoln (High Priest Caiphas), Fitgi Saint-Louis (Sarah) and Osondu Thambo (John the Disciple).
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