The Passion of Adeje did not disappoint. Not even the wind could stop the realization of one of the most unique and identifying cultural events in the municipality, which involves around 300 amateur actors, mostly local residents, along with technical and logistical personnel who contribute to ensuring this performance takes place year after year on Calle Grande de Adeje.
The staging of this grand theatrical production, lasting almost two hours and unique in its format, takes place on Calle Grande and Plaza de España in Adeje at noon every Good Friday. This year, the security plan accommodated nearly nine thousand people on-site, with thousands more watching through the signals of Televisión Canaria and 13 TV, and five hundred on social media, viewed by people from other countries in Europe and America.
The Passion begins in Plaza de la Cruz del Llano, where the Last Supper takes place. Throughout Calle Grande, scenes representing the last moments of Jesus’ life unfold. Prior to this, there is a parade of all the individuals that make up the cast.
Among the most significant scenes are the involvement of the townspeople up to the Last Supper, the encounter between Mary, the Virgin, and Mary Magdalene, the adulteress, and Jesus himself. Following the video of Saint John, which captures the testimony of love, comes Jesus’ messianic entry into Jerusalem, known as Palm Sunday, where the classic words “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” can be heard.
A moment from the performance. / E. D.
Other scenes that also stood out in this edition of The Passion were the Easter meal or the Last Supper, where Jesus shares with the apostles and washes Peter’s feet, after which Jesus warns Judas about his betrayal.
Also noteworthy were the scenes of the trial of Pontius Pilate, Herod, Judas’ monologue, the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the encounter with the mother culminating in the performance in Plaza España where two crosses were raised against an exceptional backdrop with the Barranco del Infierno gorge. In the middle, the third and final cross is raised where Jesus, played by actor Yehosua Treviño, will utter his last words. The Virgin Mary, played by Ana Oneida Borges Medina, awaits at the foot, who this year, like the other women, played a significant role in the performance.
Under the direction of Laura Marrero, the artistic direction of Freya Jaén and Conrado Díaz, through the personnel of the Culture department, workers, responsible for props, set design, costumes, hairdressing, and makeup, not to mention the communication dimension from cameras, photography to the editorial team, social media, website, and radio, the Adeje performance has become a cultural and touristic attraction of international renown.
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This year, the role of women takes on particular prominence. In this edition, a new scene has been added at the beginning of the performance in which the Virgin Mary played by Ana Oneida Borges Medina, mother of Jesus alongside Mary Magdalene played by Daura Moreira, and other women, advance together on the path.
The parable of the shepherd and the sheep has also been taken into account in this edition, involving a dialogue between Mary, the Virgin, and Jesus, where Jesus asks his mother to trust in the task entrusted to him. In the same scene, Tabitha’s father, the resurrected girl, thanks Jesus for bringing her back to life.
Following this, Mary Magdalene along with the adulteress, who were about to be stoned until Jesus saved her, approach the savior who narrates said parable to the people, the moral of which is that individuals should not be discriminated against for being different. Knowing this, Mary Magdalene, feeling identified with the situation, breaks into song.
Staging of The Last Supper. / E. D.
The denials of the apostle Peter have been expanded both in duration and in the inclusion of other characters, allowing for a better understanding of this part of the plot, where Peter’s guilt over his betrayal of his teacher Jesus is made evident.
The scene of Claudia and Pilate is another novelty of this 2024. A new stage has been built, which will be located on the facade of the main church in the town centre, to carry out this part of the plot. Pilate, played by Elías González, and Claudia, portrayed by Silvia Méndez, will reenact the renowned dialogue about truth, which will be the prelude to Claudia’s song from the balcony, with the actress performing in this role for the first time.
In the scene at Herod’s palace and Herodias, there will be a nod to Salome, Herodias’ daughter and Herod’s niece, where the girl, played by Henar Gómez Pérez, approaches Jesus to offer him an apple, to which he smiles in response.
The dance of Herod’s dancers, students at the Municipal School of Music and Dance of Adeje, will once again bring life and movement to the beginning of the performance.
