ABSINRAW

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With different ideas snowballing into each other to replicate the effect of blood oozing out upon Jesus being stabbed, visible on screen, the most feasible option was this – Let’s fill a small balloon with red colour, that we can burst with the tip of our makeshift spear, and smear it on the point where spear makes contact with Jesus. As Jesus was bare body, the balloon couldn’t possibly be stuck anywhere, or the colour be applied beforehand, so this improvisation would take place directly on the stage at the end of the act. Out of so many things that we didn’t think through at all, a few key ones that we missed were –
1) Our onesies had no pockets. With spear in one hand, how the balloon would possibly be carried?
2) Poking with spear is a fraction of a second act. When would the balloon be punctured, and how the colour would be applied to Jesus, as the motion to stab and to reach out someone with outstretched hands cannot happen simultaneously, and are visibly drastically different.
3) Why this all is on Longinus?

As we waited backstage, I kept on playing the scenario in my head when these key things struck my head, but by that time commitments were made, showstopper was decided. So, when we were on the stage and the moment came for Longinus to stab, in an attempt to burst the balloon, which had deflated by then, Longinus ended up pushing Jesus resulting in His disbalance and stepping off the cross. With their back towards the audience Longinus was able to hear a collective gasp and see the look of horror on Jesus’ face.

After the curtains drawn, what awaited backstage for Longinus was angry Jesus, whose moment was spoiled, and an angrier Brucey sir, marching towards us asking, “Who pushed da?” But as soon as he came in front of Longinus and saw his face, he burst out laughing, saying, “It’s okay, it’s over now. Don’t worry.”

This snippet often visits me for so many reasons. If you look back at this memory, can you imagine it happening today? Or its repercussions? Can you imagine this blunder happening with an act based on Hinduism and not Christianity? My brother was a part of the act dedicated to Islam, in which he offered namaz. Can you imagine it today?

Another reason, and why this snippet is not a bad revisit, is how Brucey sir laughed it off so easily, so immediately, which definitely wouldn’t have been the case for him. It was his only term at our school. I am not saying it was the reason, but who knows if one of many. When the recorded CD of the event came out later, our act was cut immediately before the stab would have happened. So, our literal showstopper actually didn’t make it through the edit.

This snippet always reminds me, that mistakes can be made by anyone. Sincerity always reflects and reaches the right place, though it will not be a replacement of ownership.