THE
Wesley Players' version of the Easter play Night on the
Hill by T. B. Morris was performed at Priory Methodist
Church, Bedford, on Good Friday after a preview performance
at Oakley Methodist Church three days earlier.
The scene is Christ's Cross after he has been taken to
the tomb. With the suffering and selflessness that the
Cross implies being fully explained throughout the one
act drama, it is the commanding image of the play.
Before it, the stark contrast of two of the characters
is drawn between Mary of Magdala, former prostitute, who
was converted by Jesus and is kind, patient and caring,
and Esther, a former beauty, but now a cripple who is
only worried about appearances and desperately wants hers
to be restored. And Esther is appalled at first to receive
advice from a "street walker" as she calls Mary
of Magdala.
Monologues
These themes are lightly touched on between Esther's complaints
of her ugliness, well managed by Frances Yunnie, and Mary's
description of Christ's work, sacrifice and suffering,
on the Cross — Susan Armstrong avoids the easy pitfall
of overplaying in this part.
A report of the events surrounding the Crucifixion is
given in the monologues by the Roman soldier guarding
the Cross. The part is well played by Anthony Armstrong.
Mary of Nazareth appears as the last character in the
play,
