‘The Passion’ Recap: A Modern Take on a Classic Story

On Palm Sunday, Fox aired a sorta-live musical presentation called The Passion, from New Orleans. Passion plays have been around since the 1350s and depict Jesus Christ’s last supper, crucifixion, and resurrection.

Fox gave its Passion play a modern twist by featuring chart-topping songs from the past few decades. For example, Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open” was used to help explain the sacrament of Holy Communion.

There were a few strange things about the “live” event, like how most of the performances were pretaped and yet all the actors wore giant microphone and earbud kits. And the fact that it quickly skipped over the single largest plot point, the Crucifixion, yet had Mary, played by Trisha Yearwood, sing several songs that were only loosely tied to the story line.

Fox’s last live musical event, Grease, was a home run. The Passion, however, was more like a batter who got on base because he was hit by a pitch. But to be fair, the crowd gathered in New Orleans seemed occasionally enthralled.

See highlights from Fox’s last live show, Grease:

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