Stunning scenery, handsome period costumes and dramatic action provided plenty of visual splendor to captivate the throngs attending the various episodes of the 2012 Ajijic Passion Play. In each sequence, the eyes of the spectators were constantly drawn to Felipe de Jesus Angulo Marquez playing the lead role of Jesus of Nazareth.
The 22-year-old Ajijic native was well aware of the challenges he would face before he accepted the acting assignment last December. He appeared as Jesus in the 2010 and 2011 productions.
Serene and gentle by nature, Angulo seems well suited for the role. He was raised in a devout Catholic family that has been involved in the Pasion de Cristo group since in 1980. And, as a carpenter by trade, he even emulates the young Jesus in his day-to-day life.
In a recent interview with the Reporter’s Dale Hoyt Palfrey, Angulo shared personal perspectives on the town’s traditional representation of the Easter story and once again tackling the part of the Messiah.
What’s the most difficult aspect of preparing for the Passion Play?
Getting the whole cast together for rehearsals.
And for you personally?
Well, it starts with learning the dialogue. I thought it would be easy to ace this time around, but the script was modified this year, with some new scenes thrown in. There are some parts where the wording has to be spoken exactly as drawn from Scripture. Beyond memorization, I have to practice delivering the lines so they make sense to audience. All that begins in January.
As soon as Lent starts, the principal actors get together regularly to run lines. The entire cast—more than 120 players in total—comes together to practice dialogue and movements towards the end of the 40-day rehearsal schedule.
Talk about the physical challenges of playing Jesus Christ.The Good Friday sequences are the most physically exhausting. It’s a long program and the sun and heat are brutal. The judgment scenes staged at the church last an hour and a half, the uphill march to Calvary takes about 20 minutes and the Crucifixion runs another 40 minutes.
The most grueling parts are the flagellation, hauling the cross up the mountain and the Crucifixion. The wooden cross carried in the Via Crucis is three and a half meters long and weights close to 80 kilos. The larger crosses used in the Crucifixion scene weighs 120 kilos, and puts the three central characters nearly a meter and a half above ground level. I suffer a lot of anxiety as they raise the cross and start pounding stones into the earth around the base to keep it steady. You can feel the vibrations and keep hoping it won’t fall down. I just try to stay focused on the message the Passion Play aims to convey and keep calm by taking in the incredible views you can see while you’re up there.
The Saturday night Resurrection scene is also tough. There are no lines to learn for that, but I’m placed right next to the altar and have to maintain a fixed position for a full hour. The night air feels chilly when you’re wearing nothing more than a loin cloth!
What kind of emotions do you experience?
Stress really kicks in during the Holy Week performances. First of all I’m prone to stage fright, so I try to block out the audience, forget there are all these people looking at me and just get into the role in order to dominate my nerves.
The Palm Sunday procession is fairly relaxed and joyful. It’s fun riding on the burro. The intense emotions start building up in the Garden of Gethsemane scene on Maundy Thursday. Good Friday brings on a lot of strong feelings that are hard to describe, running the gamut from melancholy to anger. I start to relax once they lower the cross, put me on the bier to carry the body of Christ back to the church for the burial scene. Once that’s over I like to go off somewhere quiet and be alone for a while.
What has motivated you to take on the role of Jesus?
I did it the first time to follow in the footsteps of my father, Felipe Angulo Leon. He played Jesus in the very first Passion Play 32 years ago and continued for the next four years. He holds the record as the man who has repeated the role the most times and still participates, appearing this year as the Apostle Peter.
My younger brother Cristobal joined the cast last year, so it’s getting to be something of a family tradition. Except for my mother. She won’t even go see it because she can’t stand watching all the pain that’s inflicted.
Overall, being part of bringing the Easter story to life is a deeply spiritual and satisfying experience from beginning to end.