«Successful Influencer»
RTL stages the death of Christ
Singer Alexander Klaws is on stage as Jesus in the RTL Easter production ‘Die Passion’ on Essen’s Burgplatz. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
When the RTL broadcaster announced the “The Passion” project, you had to use your imagination to imagine what it would look like: The dying of Christ at prime time. Now we know more.
Thomas Gottschalk saw many things in his years as a “Wetten, dass..?” moderator, such as a farmer who, blindfolded, could recognize cows by the smacking noise.
On Wednesday evening, however, he announces something to his audience in the middle of Essen that can be considered unusual even in these categories: Jesus – in an Essen bus. “Today he would have used public transport,” explains Gottschalk.
You can then see the former “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” winner Alexander Klaws, who casually holds on to a yellow bus handrail and looks as if he is on his way to an after-work beer with friends. He also sings the song “Auf Uns” by German pop singer Andreas Bourani, which became popular in 2014 when the German national soccer team won the world championship.
Böhmermann: “God, redeem us”
It is clear very early on: “The Passion”, which RTL is staging this evening, has what it takes to be a topic of conversation. The station wants to present the last days in the life of Jesus Christ shortly before Easter as a modern musical variant with German pop songs – live from Essen. Germany has never seen anything like this – this is also evident in the social networks. Reactions on Twitter erupted before Jesus saw the cross. “God, deliver us,” writes Jan Böhmermann. On Facebook, other viewers praised that they were really touched.
Gottschalk, who was hired to narrate the story, emphasizes the seriousness of the matter. “We’re not going to tell you a pious fairy tale tonight, nor are we celebrating a church service here. Instead, we tell a story that has shaped our culture,” he explains. And which – according to the message that ran through the evening like a red thread – is up to date again right now.
Gottschalk says that he himself told the story more than 50 years ago in the Kulmbach Church of St. Hedwig. His parents ended up there as refugees. Today there are millions of refugees again. He covers the whole spectrum: “Humanity hasn’t learned anything. Not for 50 years. And not for 2000 years either.” At the same time, Gottschalk also tries to make the material understandable for non-church audiences. Disciple Peter is therefore “something like the spokesman of the group”, traitor Judas “something like the manager”. And Jesus? “Today one would say: He is a successful influencer.”
GZSZ villain in a new guise
The mixture of modern painting, theologically accessible address and a cast full of RTL celebrities then gives birth to some memorable scenes in the course of the evening. About Jesus alias Klaws, who is arrested by German police officers and crammed into a van. There he meets Wolfgang Bahro, the eternal villain Jo Gerner from the RTL series “Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten”. When Jesus gives him absolution, the eve of the soap opera and Christianity touch: “That very day you will be with me in heaven.”
One scene also takes place in a shopping center where children want a selfie with Jesus (“Hey guys! There’s Jesus!”), another at a snack bar where the Savior gets the bread for the sacrament. There are curry sausages on top – and astonished looks from the ex-soccer manager Reiner Calmund, who just wants to mumble sausage. There are also commercial breaks, Gottschalk moderates it like this: “Jesus’ execution is imminent. The passion story will continue in a few moments.»
In addition to Klaws, the singer Ella Endlich (Maria), the actor Mark Keller (Judas) and the musician Laith Al-Deen (Peter) slip into the leading roles. Actor Henning Baum (“The Last Bull”) gets applause from the scene, although he’s cast in the bogeyman role of Pontius Pilate. He was born in Essen. Trumpeter Stefan Mross, “Brisant” presenter Mareile Höppner and singer Gil Ofarim, who recently hit the headlines because the Leipzig public prosecutor’s office had accused him of defamation and false suspicion, can be seen as disciples. RTL explained that this does not change anything about his appearance in feature films, since the presumption of innocence applies until legal clarification.
Music by Xavier Naidoo receives criticism
Criticism erupts on social networks when the song “And if a song” is played, a song by the Mannheim sons. Among other things, Xavier Naidoo had made a name for himself as a soul singer with the group. In recent years, he has been accused of being close to far-right conspiracy stories, but the singer defends himself against this criticism.
Parallel to the Jesus story, Essen repeatedly switches to a large cross of light that is carried through the city. Reporter Annett Möller interviewed a Ukrainian who wanted salvation for her people, which also drew applause. Another woman tells of a kind of miraculous healing of her husband after she prayed.
In the end, Klaws stands illuminated on a house far above the audience and sings: “Hold on to me if that’s all that’s left.” And Gottschalk draws a conclusion from the premiere of a TV event that is unique in Germany. “It wasn’t embarrassing for a second,” he says.