Since today is Good Friday and this is an Easter weekend, I thought I’d share a story that isn’t political, but is timely.
In Glassport, Pa., a town near Pittsburgh, an Assembly of God church decided to host an Easter show for children and parents. Patty Bickerton, the youth minister at the church, wanted the performance to be informative for the families.
“The program was for all ages, not just the kids. We wanted to convey that Easter is not just about the Easter bunny, it is about Jesus Christ,” Bickerton said.
Fair enough. The problem, according to some people anyway, is how the church wanted to get this message across. Basically, the show featured people beating the crap out of the Easter Bunny.
It may not have been as gruesome as Mel Gibson’s movie, but many parents and children got upset when a church trying to teach about Jesus’ crucifixion performed an Easter show with actors whipping the Easter bunny and breaking eggs.
People who attended Saturday’s show at Glassport’s memorial stadium quoted performers as saying, “There is no Easter bunny,” and described the show as being a demonstration of how Jesus was crucified.
Melissa Salzmann, who brought her 4-year-old son J.T., said the program was inappropriate for young children. “He was crying and asking me why the bunny was being whipped,” Salzmann said.
Performers broke eggs meant for an Easter egg hunt and also portrayed a drunken man and a self-mutilating woman, said Jennifer Norelli-Burke, another parent who saw the show in Glassport, a community about 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
It’s so hard to find good theater these days.