100-plus to stage Passion play

Sam Morris

Luke Luetkemeyer portrays Jesus during a 2002 reenactment of the crucifixion at the Riviera.

By Joe Brown

Friday, April 10, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Before there was “Jesus Christ Superstar” on record and Broadway, before there was “The Passion of the Christ” in movie theaters and on DVD, there was the Passion play.

An explicit theatrical enactment of the last painful moments of Jesus Christ — his trial, suffering and death — the Passion play is traditionally performed in the days preceding Easter. An international phenomenon dating to before the 13th century, these are often elaborate, near-operatic presentations, involving anywhere from dozens to hundreds of people, often nonprofessionals drawn from local congregations.

This weekend Passion plays are being performed from Australia to Brazil; arguably the most famous is the Oberammergau in Upper Bavaria, which attracts thousands of spectators each year.

Even Las Vegas, this modern day Gomorrah nicknamed for its sins and sinners, has its own Passion play.

Garry Knight, a math professor at the College of Southern Nevada, first presented a Passion play titled “He’s Alive” in Las Vegas in 1995, and it has been revived every year since in various venues — including the Riviera.

The Vegas cast and crew members have been teaching and assisting other casts around the world so that they can produce the play in their own cities and countries, part of a network of hundreds of churches.

The Vegas Passion, which involves more than 100 area residents, has found what looks like a permanent home at the Green Valley Baptist Church, and free performances are tonight and Saturday.