The Church Play Cinematic Universe

[@kristytucker7500]

2024’s “Murder on the Jerusalem Express” was a perplexing combination of 70s disco meets Texas cowboys in an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. During “the last supper” on the train, Cristoff (a totally groovy 70s hippie played by senior pastor Mark Hughes) is murdered as the train passes through a tunnel, sparking the post crucifixion lament of “Midnight Train to Georgia” sung by our favourite church choir director. The following half hour was a collection of oddly chosen musical numbers (Macho Man by the Village People, Take the Money and Run by Steve Miller Band and When Will I Be Loved by Linda Ronstadt) as the train conductor (a Pink Panther parodied Jacques Clouseau) questions the remaining train passengers (a hippie named Jude, a pair of cowboys with Texas accents, and a slew of characters named after suspects from the board game “Clue”) in an attempt to uncover the murderer. The resurrection scene was a little bit of a let down, with Cristoff just reemerging in the front car of the train (without even striking a crucifixion pose!). There was no use of the stage turntable this year, though the LED screen was utilized as moving scenery for the train windows. Overall, 7/10.

[@MossyDroid]

You could have completely made this up and I'd still believe it, I love this

[@k80_]

I’ve been meaning to watch it, sounds like a bit of a letdown 😞

[@nathandavis2377]

It's important to mention the stab marks on Cristoff's poncho also made up the cross 😅

[@juliakrystosek8003]

I came to these comments specifically in the hope that someone had recapped this year's and I was not disappointed

[@kylebeaumont9059]

Hey! I'm late to the watchparty (Life, ya know) and I'm looking for a place to watch it. Can you point me in the direction you found it please? Thank you!

[@Creecherfromtheblacklagoon]

“I don’t know why they included the Devil went down to Georgia.” Jenny, someone in the congregation is a competent fiddle player-what other reason do they need??

[@hcneysenpai]

this made me laugh WAAAAAAAY too hard lmfao

[@tombernard7483]

Seriously, they kinda nailed the solo, too. If you have someone that can do that, YOU USE THEM!

[@Onomatopoeia4u]

My thoughts exactly after the pastor played the undertaker lol.

[@tombernard7483]

@@Onomatopoeia4u noooooooooo.gif

[@danamania150]

This is EXACTLY what I thought 😂

[@daisydolicker2145]

The “I’m walking on sunshine……………………………wHØÃÂÅÆ” fucking beheaded me

[@mb323]

don’t you mean crucified you?

[@Aydreean]

Fuuuckk I scrolled down hoping someone else noticed because I'm coming undone from it lmao

[@adeponol]

I laughed so much i almost threw up

[@cinnamonrollkitten6426]

Same😭

[@paulv8773]

That was amazing!

[@davidchidester5463]

This video has convinced me that copyright law should be abolished. Look at what we are missing out on by discouraging works based on 20 different pieces of intellectual property at once.

[@findmeinthefuture.]

I don't know that this is even technically in violation of copyright laws. Surely it'd be considered transformative parody. Not that that'd stop the big studio lawyers from doing their thing.

[@iharpo9292]

​@@findmeinthefuture.Sadly parody doesnt protect people as much as it should

[@fluffyduffy1057]

@@findmeinthefuture.Might also be protected because it’s a church

[@musictomyshears]

​@@findmeinthefuture.But see that's precisely the problem. A big corp lawyer can scare even other large companies enough to achieve their goals. Fair use is a defense to copyright infringement, not a mechanism to prevent the owner from suing.

[@musictomyshears]

​@@findmeinthefuture. If you abolished copyright, or narrowed it to protecting the recording of the published performance of the work, and not abstract ideas, like people using characters and ideas like "the justice league" and performing renditions of pop songs would allow these harmless and creative productions to exist.

[@recklssabndon]

You’ve answered the question “what would happen if Michael Scott was both real and an evangelical pastor?”

[@Cdr2002]

That’s too accurate omg

[@ButtercMoss]

LMAO facts

[@leoribic1691]

Dude literally, from the jokes with flat delivery, to the songs, to the racial insensitivity (and yellowface).

[@thealabamiangirl]

This makes this video 10 times better, even though I barely seen the office, the only time I've watched it is when my step dad or older brother puts it on, because they are big fans and will qoute it alot

[@CylindricalWhistle]

Right down to the racist impressions of Asian people, lol

[@Rachel-xf3op]

Butch Chastity is an incredible name. Almost a drag name, really.

[@jaychang6723]

Honestly!!

[@fuzzycatbutts]

Almost?!

[@PrettyPinkPersephone]

Well I found my drag name, finally

[@colonelmustard2652]

And I’m fixated on the fire code violations.

[@electricmosswitch]

I’m so happy to inform you that there is indeed a drag king named Butch Chastity

[@marmiteghost]

ok but Batman being crucified to the Batlight is 100% something Zack Snyder would've unironically done if he continued making DC films

[@luisf2793]

Would be funny if Snyder accidentally got one of the scripts and said “beautiful!” And used it as the base for Batman v Superman

[@justintime3656]

I feel like we spacking this in to existons

[@andrewjenkins9965]

I wouldn't even have put it past Nolan...

[@cloudshad0ws]

I feel like I've seen a picture of it from a comic

[@IAteFire]

@@andrewjenkins9965 the cheap trick of Jesus imagery is squarely a Snyder trope, Nolan doesn’t really lean into obvious images like that

[@dogwild]

missed opportunity for "live by the lightsaber, die by the lightsaber"

[@Nemo2342]

That was the one bit of copyright even they were too scared to use.

[@jorgeluz9560]

@@Nemo2342 call it lightsword, then

[@Antifearn]

“Live by the Force, die by the Force”

[@MaxLennon]

"So, my recent fascination has been obscure Canadian church plays." That's not an opening hook, it's a harpoon.

[@chrisphammond]

Agree, I'm an hour in, there is no way out, and when I get to the end... I'll start again

[@GaminEmail]

CURSE YOU BAYLE

[@duckpin]

It's a tractor beam

[@danielwilcox419]

Per their website, 2024's production will be an adaptation of Murder On the Orient Express titled..Murder on the Jerusalem Express. I'll admit my curiosity is piqued. however, it does confirm that the church has little interest in adapting current films. So don't expect The Passion of the Barbenheimer until at least 2028.

[@hada__02]

Is Poirot going to get crucified???

[@applemask]

@@hada__02That one woman is going to sing a rewritten version "What Was I Made For" to dying Poirot on the smokestack

[@lillianward2810]

Omfg I’m so hyped

[@ikarikid]

@@hada__02Jesus is actually some dude named Christof. Also the detective is the train conductor. Who is doing a riff on Clouseau for reasons.

[@AlexHarrison-zv4jj]

In this Passion of the Barbenheimer, who would get crucified, Margot or Cillian? Maybe both!

[@alexbruce9499]

I never understood the message of our lord and saviour Jesus Christ until I saw Him depicted as wisecracking alcoholic womaniser Tony Stark singing Chumbawumba while being crucified. Much like an ARC reactor, the Lord truly works in mysterious ways.

[@katharineeavan9705]

I mean, Tony Stark singing Chumbawumba as he dies is probably the most in character thing about the performance tbf

[@jmckenzie962]

The knowledge that Chumbawamba were an anarcho-punk band also makes it even funnier

[@hooray4paradiddles]

OUR LORD AND SAVIOR was able to forgive our sins IN A CAVE with a BOX OF SCRAPS.

[@sixstringedthing]

"And Jesus gathered His disciples and he spoke to them, saying: "Be not afraid my brother and sisters! For indeed, though the Romans did knocketh me down, verily did I get up again! Let us rejoice, for never shall they keep me down! And now, I could really use a drink."

[@AuDHDarling]

@@sixstringedthing, "Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet drank from the water that had been turned into a whiskey drink. Then he drank a vodka drink. He drank a lager drink. He drank a cider drink."

[@chickendelicious]

its also hilarious because all of these shows are probably happening at 9:30 AM

[@CreamyPesto505]

I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. Imagine having woken up 2 hours ago, and you get slapped with the Scar Welcome to the Jungle scene.

[@gtorell]

@@CreamyPesto505 It's 9:45 AM and you're watching a grown man in a leather jacket knock over a small table and say "GAAaAhHH" while flailing a whip around.

[@MartijnPennings]

​@@gtorellwell, that's a normal tuesday for me...

[@tannerparks6030]

You can see a digital clock when the camera shows the audience during one of the plays and it shows that it's 8:03

[@spencerlively3049]

@@tannerparks6030 lord i hope that's 8pm

[@1SuperJule]

I lost it at the middle aged man screeching out “WHOA!” just a few beats too late during “Walking on Sunshine.” He just knew he wasn’t gonna hit that note. 🤣

[@dinosaysrawr]

Watched it three times. Best part of the video.

[@Wessssss21]

I'm walking on sunshine..........WAAHAAA

[@Dudofall]

It was such an honest cry of pain.

[@nuclearivyking]

16:28 is the timestamp, replay button engaged x10000

[@nickturgeon6040]

I absolutely lost it at that part 😂😂😂😂😂😂 such a cry of pain

[@igakierczak3471]

I can't believe they didn't change "I'm walking on sunshine" to "I'm walking on water"

[@arbitrarytoast]

Same syllables and everything. So sad. Maybe they thought it sounded too much like mockery?

[@JackgarPrime]

​@arbitrarytoast I mean the whole situation feels like a mockery to begin with.

[@tenshimoon]

Ikr such a missed opportunity lmao 💀

[@Leftistattheparty]

"WHOA"

[@olefredrikskjegstad5972]

By the same token, I'm surprised they didn't use "You got a friend in me" for the Toy Story play. That song is _gift-wrapped_ for being about Jesus.

[@FootlessJo]

It wouldn’t be an evangelical church play if the youth pastor wasn’t rapping at some point 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@jody024]

Rapping or rap- you know what I mean. 😬

[@kolkeet]

"Well i wrote this song for the Christian youth..." you know the rest

[@unduloid]

"My crew is big and it keeps getting bigger. That’s cause Jesus Christ is my..." Well, you know the rest. Christian rap at its finest!

[@TheVivaciousNerd]

True, it's basically the law

[@tatehildyard5332]

@@unduloid Respect M.C. Mary-Sue

[@Roxasthezerg]

"The Nazi general inexplicably sings Numa Numa" is not a sentence i ever thought i would hear as a german

[@barryevans6089]

As an Englishman, I figured it was only a matter of time.

[@aloeverouse2690]

"bonus points for the pyrotechnics when christ rises out of the dumpster" is genuinely the funniest sentence i've heard in years

[@superxxamadeus4098]

Oh my god i just commented practically the same observation lol

[@Noobie2k7]

It's honestly one of the best out of context sentences I've heard in a long time.

[@nannesoar]

@@superxxamadeus4098 9th 0⁹

[@DoctorScrimguard]

Hey, every!

[@emrhys2]

I literally started keeping a list of great sentences I've heard because of this line.

[@batsandroses]

that guy playing scar is either the frank-n-furter for their local rocky horror troupe or has been waiting his whole life to become the frank-n-furter for the local rocky horror troupe

[@Misora7303]

Don´t we all wait our whole life to be the frank-n-furter of our local Rocky horror troupe tho? That is a given, but this guy actually was born for it

[@WickedKatze]

@@Misora7303 as a current Frank, can confirm 😄

[@stephysteph8558]

He is strangely attractive and seems to be having fun hamming up his villain characters. I stan. (Unlikely that they'll do an Easter-themed version of Rocky Horror, as fun as that would be...)

[@nolansbored]

It’s hard to watch Marty McFly playing sax… especially because we know Luke Skywalker plays guitar.

[@catg4343]

​@@stephysteph8558 if they did then frank n furter should be the jesus- HEAR ME OUT. -from somewhere that isn't earth, takes human form -several devout followers -wears a dress -often depicted wearing red -always depicted as unnaturally hot the crucifixion scene could be when he gets got by the aliens at the end, except this time he comes back and has freaky LGBT sex with every character in the play right threre on stage

[@ShadowsofAka]

Avengers' Loki singing Call Me Maybe is the most 2012 tumblr thing ever.

[@Saibellus]

oh god, i can see the fan edit now. he's singing to idk black widow but in the end she's lesbian for pepper potts

[@twalt]

and that's the 2018 production

[@DestinyKiller]

I want that song so badly

[@elmartinez333]

I thought there literally was a Tumblr post floating around with the exact lyrics they used too 😭

[@Chromaggia]

@@elmartinez333There literally was, I don’t want to put a link at risk of looking like a bot but if you look up the user forgottenghostly you can find it lol

[@dekopuma]

They aren't actually out of date with their references, that's just how time works in Canada.

[@mikearchibald744]

Like in politics Canada is always about eight years behind the US. But catching up fast.

[@SiRenfield]

“The 80s didn’t come to Canada until 1993”

[@singingReaper]

Being completely serious, “Batman gets crucified on the bat signal” seems like something the comics would 100% do

[@dinosaysrawr]

::::Zack Snyder has entered the chat:::::

[@gblatt8472]

Batman Begins kinda does that. He ties a gangster to a serchlight in a sorta Christ pose, it forms the first Batsignal.

[@user-on8ut1rb1t]

@@gblatt8472 that random gangster is jesus

[@calebmarmon1310]

@@user-on8ut1rb1t Batman! How could you!?

[@oliviawilliams6204]

@@user-on8ut1rb1t wasn’t that “random” gangster Carmine the Roman Falcone. The mob boss.

[@Weiszklee]

"Butch Chastity" is a god tier character name and they probably didn't even foresee the implications.

[@twilightjoltik3151]

It’s a god tier lesbian stripper name

[@Abahple]

Somewhere out there, an aspiring drag king just got the final push towards living their dream.

[@yltraviole]

It's a great drag king name

[@fifirodriguez52]

Gonna start calling myself Butch Chastity bc I'm a lesbian who can't get laid

[@cjboyo]

I think that’s gonna be my stripper name lol

[@jiml1672]

I cannot tell you how much “ I may look like a cat, but I feel like a woman! “ Has changed my life

[@zombie..]

Let’s go girls!

[@nailinthefashion]

the dean watching the dalmatian bodybuilder hoping it didn't awaken anything in him vibes

[@Aen8mq]

She said ALLEY CAT… I lost it, the world shifted

[@oliviasayshi7517]

I just wanna know what they did to the lyrics...

[@charliexox5641]

21:00

[@thomasjulian6976]

50% accurate robin Williams impression is a perfect observation

[@CreamyPesto505]

Rewriting "Rasputin" to be about Jesus and performed by people dressed as Star Trek characters might very well be humanity's greatest achievement.

[@Moeller750]

The Lord works in mysterious ways

[@fjLKA]

Take that pyramids! 😠

[@mariaquiet6211]

seeing this comment after 17 minutes and now I know I'm watching til the end

[@mariaquiet6211]

Boney M's Rasputin = Disco Sex Jesus and I'm ashamed I never figured this out.

[@smithjedediah]

what's this "might be" mishegas

[@thisisasign9662]

I love the idea that the references are so dated that many of the kids in the audience will never have seen them before. Then, some day down the line, they’ll see another reference to that piece of culture and feel totally baffled that someone is making an allusion to their church’s feverish Easter plays.

[@kayzee_bee]

i literally snorted reading this lmaooo the idea of that is so funny

[@happninmojo]

This is exactly what I would do if I were trying to be a hip pastor appealing to the kids. I want the children of my flock to one day be out in the world (probably in Canada) and hear someone tell Russel Peter's routine verbatim and think "did these people watch my church's Passion plays online" and "why are they so enamored with my pastor's stereotypical Chinese voice?". This should be the goal of every holy man.

[@timothymclean]

Realistically, they'll probably realize that an international television program or whatever probably wouldn't reference a local church parody play, and assume there was a third source both drew from. If not, they'd be corrected as soon as they said something about it to someone more worldly. Your version is funnier though.

[@thisisasign9662]

@@timothymclean yeah, I know. But a man can dream…

[@howdypardner6278]

i've thought abt this with kidz bop,, how many kids whose parents didn't let them listen to the original versions growing up just think those are the real lyrics

[@allysonmccartney2150]

For anyone wondering, the church of the rock’s 2023 Easter play was Beauty and the Beast and Belle was crucified

[@kayyylaaa___]

thank you for sharing i was so curious

[@12Tecpatl]

WHY BELLE

[@ssjsagemode708]

Can I watch it somewhere 💀

[@achehex]

Beast literally dies and is revived in the movie, but I guess he is mean and Belle is a pious figure so it makes sense but its also hilarious

[@wertfi908]

Diversity win

[@rennyturing]

I love that the crucifixions are always silent and drawn out, and the actors' mics are always on so you just hear them breathing the whole time. Iconic.

[@bookfish]

That delayed "WOÄÆHH" sounds like he got scared by actually stepping on the sunshine.

[@TheBlackDeath3]

Fuck me that was hilarious

[@racenturtlez]

😭 yes

[@KayLeeSci]

Omg I nearly cried laughing so hard. The hesitation and then the failed and super short woahhh...I could rewatch this over and over

[@Skip6235]

@@KayLeeScimade even better by Jenny hard-cutting and moving on without any acknowledgment whatsoever

[@SuzER08]

​@@Skip6235 Her editing is so good and so underrated, the way she cuts things off like that always gets me

[@kristytucker7500]

I am happy to report that the Church of the Rock is still going strong in 2023, with an excellent rendition of "Beauty and the Beast", featuring yet another performance of Call Me Maybe, Gaston pulverizing Belle with a log battering ram, and a stirring performance of Freebird as the crucifixion lament. 11/10 live experience.

[@yourstruly9013]

Additional fun facts: they brought in kpop to this year’s production with Gaston performing BTS’s “Butter” and the village ensemble did Rocky Horror’s “Time Warp” just straight up. Iconic

[@amberphillips3421]

Absolutely incredible. Thank you for reporting in

[@korva_puusti]

I'm fucking crying, thank you for this.

[@quinevere]

did they give a shout-out to Jenny? they should 😂

[@4pl3x34]

​@yourstruly9013 rocky horror show in the church easter play... much to contemplate

[@78cunobelin]

"low german" is another reference to Mennonites or the Amish. There are a lot in the plains states of the US and Canada, so this crowd likely has a "friendly rivalry" going with those communities, and makes fun of them for being "simple folk". Excellent, funny and smart videos, Jenny!

[@BlackRabbitWonderland]

That makes sense there was another Mennonite joke in the batman section

[@vschneider3389]

In Manitoba there is a significant Hutterite populations (similar Anabaptist origin story to Mennonites and and Amish)

[@justinpolk5405]

Altona, Canada was founded by Plautdietsch (Low-German) speaking Mennonites, per Wikipedia.

[@Aquilarden]

And the place they're referencing is Altoona, PA; Pennsylvania is full of Mennonites and Amish speaking Pennsylvania Dutch. It isn't Low German, but saying "Palatine German" probably would be a bit academic for a church play.

[@vschneider3389]

@@Aquilarden I think they are talking about Altona, Manitoba though perhaps the origins of the name are the same?

[@pexilated1638]

“Afterwards we get the post-crucifixion lament of Doc Brown singing Imagine Dragons Radioactive” is probably one of the funniest sentences conceivable

[@simly5189]

Right up there with gems such as "It is Satan himself who kills Jesus, by shooting him with a bazooka" and "bonus points for the pyrotechnics when Jesus rises out of the dumpster"

[@carrot-lime]

Suggestion: “Mean Girls”. Jesus is Cady, and she gets crucified to the front of a bus after the burn book stuff comes out. The post-crucifixion lament is “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne.

[@carrot-lime]

The resurrection is obviously the prom scene.

[@jadeharley7190]

Noooo crucifixtion would happen after the “she doesn’t even go here scene” bc that way you have everyone there to yell crucify her LMAO

[@carrot-lime]

@@jadeharley7190 yeah, that’s actually better.

[@idankatz8085]

Stop giving them ideas!

[@somefreshbread]

On Wednesdays we kill God

[@molly2486]

HUGE missed opportunity that they didn't go with "walk the plank" only for him to walk on water

[@redgarlicbred6228]

OMG yes lmao that would've have been hilarious

[@0Fyrebrand0]

You have to be careful with Water Walking. If World of Warcraft has taught me anything, if you activate it too early while falling from a great height, the water counts as "ground" and you can die from fall damage. I suppose that's not as much of a concern for Jesus/Simba/Batman though.

[@ninjawiz7932]

"It is Satan himself who kills Jesus, by shooting him with a bazooka"

[@snorlax42]

Honestly Simba's actress mumbling "man they make Pride Rock higher every year" after almost falling is a very charming save! Good on that actress!

[@sophiemontecalvo7503]

That's what I was thinking! It made me smile!

[@formy52]

Yeah, it was a really fun ad lib! Loved it.

[@deannas2778]

It was a nice save. Respect.

[@iblame_nargles]

Man, Jenny’s comments section can be so rad sometimes. 😊

[@c.morland]

💯💯

[@princesspessimism7171]

I think the audience should pitch in to help resurrect Jesus by clapping like they do with tinkerbell

[@embop1266]

I JUST LAUGHED OUT LOUD AT THAT THATS SO FUNNY

[@courtney_lol]

LMFAOOO THATS GOLDEN

[@YouTubeUserCMXVIICDI]

If they did a Peter Pan play and didn't do that bit that'd be a sin.

[@nextabe1]

Seriously why haven't they done this?

[@Apple_Bapple]

i've never heard of that, they did that in peter pan? thats pretty ingenius.

[@sleepiestmoth]

The image of Jack Sparrow crucified on a pirate ship's mast saying "It is finished" in a deathly serious tone, while lit by harsh stage lights and surrounded by a black void will forever haunt me now.

[@JohnTheMod1]

It’s like how the Internet sees Johnny Depp!

[@connormcclintock6562]

@@JohnTheMod1 We should be so lucky to see that

[@claytonandres1194]

Sounds like a Dall-e input

[@theflickchick9850]

That was actually so horrifying.

[@mastermarkus5307]

I thought it was hilarious, but you do you.

[@rossmerchant8435]

I like how there's never any explanation for the resurrection. Like no 3 days in the tomb or a moved boulder or any logistics involved, the guy just gets back up and they all sing and dance to celebrate.

[@jewthulhu]

It's because he took the place of an innocent to be sacrificed on the Stone Table

[@MartijnPennings]

And then they sing Gangnam Style.

[@cryptidonstrike]

I would genuinely unironically like to know what this congregation considers blasphemous. I don’t even mean that as an insult, it’s just genuinely fascinating how every vaguely Christian subgroup or denomination has their own standards and “crucifying Batman on the bat signal to represent Jesus” would be a dealbreaker in a lot of them I think

[@AleksandarBell]

Oh being gay/trans apparently. So like they’re completely fine with showing different character being “Christ” but being gay is bad ig??

[@TheAmericanDeagle]

It’s just incredible. If I showed this to my catholic mom she would be outraged

[@ftrwrwbg]

Kinda why I stopped going to church in general even though I consider myself a Christian. The honest truth is none of us know the answers and almost everyone within just one group of Christianity all have different views of right and wrong. I see this stuff here as a harmless fun way to try to preach to kids and their families. But I know a lot of people who would be horrified to see this.

[@alexanderbrown8921]

@@TheAmericanDeagle To be fair, Catholicism is against fun in general. This church is apparently "inter-denominational?" Which I guess means they're trying to appeal to as many pop culture touchstones as possible, and probably not worrying about Catholic approval because Catholics approve of very little anyways. ... Sorry about the Catholic hate. I was raised Anglican, the rivalry is strong.

[@TimothyCHenderson]

@@alexanderbrown8921 To be fair, the Catholic's did it best. Pageantry and decorum where a huge selling point throughout history for the Catholic church, it's only been in the last 100 years or so where things got boring. Would have been incredible to go to church every Sunday and see a full on 1hr to 4hr Oratorio or Cantata, or a Mass with full orchestra, choir and soloists. Many of the protestant denominations did this too, especially Cantata's but the Catholic's did it best.

[@Nickfitzpatrino]

"Bonus points for the pyrotechnics when Christ rises out of the dumpster" This is one of my new favorite out-of-context statements.

[@itsbrewsky5519]

Damn, you beat me to it

[@Nickfitzpatrino]

@Larissa Pienaargreat choice! my all-time favorite moment was when Iron Man was being hung on the cross and they seemlessly transitioned from Loki's rendition of "It's the End of the World as We Know It" into a crucified Iron Man singing "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba in a brilliant mashup. What a moment.

[@westcoast1155]

I would give ANYTHING for an annual reality show about the making of this play. The behind-the-scenes drama has to be INSANE.

[@LifesNeverHumDrum]

I’m imagining a Waiting For Guffman with a much more subdued cast

[@heathermuffins]

If it's anything like my church growing up, it's a lot of angry whispering while smiling through clenched teeth.

[@mrcritical6751]

I’d pay for a real life Goes Wrong Show where they just make a new play every week

[@benabramowitz18]

Isn't that basically the film _Theater Camp,_ starring Ben Platt?

[@aeddiefarmer]

Especially the casting drama because it's quite clear certain church members get first dibs on the roles.

[@pomaceous2056]

The most annoying part of the Ken performance is that the woman playing Barbie is fucking killing it with the physical acting while he isn't even trying

[@ErisIsAnAbomination]

There’s something hilariously disturbing about imagining crowds of children watching their favorite fictional character dying on a cross while the supporting cast sings a cover of a pop song.

[@sigh824]

And Ridiculously American

[@sigh824]

@@cake_made_of_bacon3710 and yet an evangelical mega church creating a high budget production using popular movie franchises and pop song covers to vaguely preach the second coming of Jesus to kids still sounds ridiculously American

[@nolyspe]

the fact is that the christian stories are already hilariously disturbing in themselves

[@bloodyplebs]

@@sigh824 this is a Canadian Church, bigot.

[@jamesrowlands8971]

This is the world we made.

[@thestorytheytell5584]

I just love the idea of a church that was slowly taken over by a bunch of theater kids and before the congregation could do anything about it, their Pastor was dressed as Ken from Toy Story.

[@nbv6975]

I mean, that Pastor was very much on board with being Ken from Toy Story. A little too much so

[@marocat4749]

I think he is pretty fit.

[@GrndAdmiralThrawn]

Plot twist: the pastor himself is a theater kid, and the church was just dragged along for the ride.

[@nickolasburns8788]

I’d like to think that somewhere in that church, there’s a child who has never seen the original Star Wars, and they grow up truly believing that it’s canon. This child grows up; randomly their friend group starts talking about Star Wars, the child wants to fit in and without hesitation shouts, “oh I saw that when I was a kid!! It was so crazy when Luke Moonwalker got stuck in carbonite! And then died for our sins!”

[@cyc_lorama]

it’s been two years and i’ve been nursing this pet theory that the pastor’s weird ken voice is just his idea of “effeminate.” i think that he thinks ken is gay. and that he’s doing a funny gay voice.

[@jumpiestudios5265]

I genuinely think it's just a result of him trying to speak with a stiff smile on his face like Barbie and Ken have in the Toy Story movies.

[@kieranhair37]

Nope. The play making a big point of referencing his muscles makes it pretty obvious that he's just mimicking the bodybuilder voice from an old SNL skit.

[@renee8591]

I'm truly obsessed with how the other protagonist characters just have to stand around making "oh no" and "do you see this?" gestures when the person is getting crucified.

[@danb9447]

"get a loada this crap"

[@InsomniacXIII]

They should all just turn to the audience and deadpan shrug like "Whaddya gonna do?" à la Jim from The Office.

[@user-hv6wb5gk8p]

I just love the reaction: "Ah bummer, mate got mutilated and is bleeding out in the desert sun again. Third time this month. Well, guess it's back to sinning for me."

[@nailinthefashion]

"say whaaaaaaaat"

[@dakkyhue5800]

also the character being crucified looks *inconvenienced* in most of them lol

[@edgarallennope]

Top five moments: 5. 'I'm walking on sunshine.....WOA' 4: The moment of dawning horror when you realising they're having Sulu sing 'Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting' 3. The 'It's the end of the world as we know it/Tubthumping' crucifixion remix 2. 'He who lives by the sword dies by the sword' spoken by Westley, one of the most accomplished swordsmen in the whole movie 1. Lotso being branded a heretic and revealed to be Satan for making incredibly reasonable and down-to-earth observations

[@Misora7303]

I wish I heard that Lodso as a kid, it would have saved me a lot of time on my atheist character arc

[@TheSaltyLibrarian]

it's almost like they have to reveal that he's Satan because based on the arguments he was making for atheism, they already lost

[@iamjustkiwi]

If I'm not mistaken number 3 is actually part of Weird Al's song "polka power", which is great

[@edgarallennope]

@@iamjustkiwi that would be their second Weird Al reference incredible????

[@iamjustkiwi]

@@edgarallennope I actually just went and rewatched the video (which is still great), and it does have tub thumping in it but not both, I just remembered wrong, so I think they were just inspired by his polka style songs. Pretty funny either way though!

[@wpk914]

Catwoman using a very forced line of dialogue to start up “I Feel Like A Woman” was nothing short of euphoric

[@raygedd9693]

I’m in love with this Catwoman

[@pengoschwortz4734]

As soon as I heard “FEEL like a woman” I immediately felt threatened

[@sarahbrown3966]

I’m here due to the “starwars hotel” video. I am so glad that I kept watching your videos. The evermore video was great, but this just made me so happy. The thought of these churchgoers going so hard on the Easter play was really just endearing to me.

[@NEWYORKER131]

her dear evan hansen video is my personal favorite. the “where’s buzzy” video is also up there. i definitely recommend those for someone who is new to jenny!

[@Gerthious]

Just wait until you get to the Hallmark drama and Christmas Prince analysis!

[@kierandyck8811]

Weird that’s also how I got here 😂

[@stacyh2393]

​@@GerthiousThe Hallmark video will forever be my favorite

[@jewthulhu]

I'd seen a lot of her work already but by entertaining coincidence Star Wars Hotel -> Evermore -> This is also how I got here

[@SportsGhost]

I like to imagine a person really struggling in life, turning to the church for guidance, showing up on the holiest day of the year and seeing Buzz Lightyear crucified by Zurg and raised from the dead by a zipline and that somehow making everything right. Also props to them calling the Iron Man sacrifice before Endgame.

[@abbywolffe4114]

Oh my God imagine

[@flytrapYTP]

It is a very religious experience.

[@santiagogarza8121]

They even get the "I am iron man" line correct

[@treyday4846]

It's fun to laugh at white people

[@robbiethemagpie9387]

With the I am Iron Man line and all

[@isaac_unbound]

i'm going to be recovering from the thought that Butch Chastity is a better drag name than i could ever hope to come up with for the next couple days

[@OpiatesAndTits]

Steal it! No one will ever know

[@emilyrln]

I mean, I don't think the person who made it up plans to use it…

[@ZaKKsQuaTcH1]

How about Rhonda Santis?

[@rwolfheart6580]

It's an amazing drag name and you absolutely should.

[@isaac_unbound]

@@rwolfheart6580 usually i do female drag and my name is Blunt Cake... if i ever do make drag though i AM taking Butch Chastity now

[@sbondiw7943]

"So my recent fascination has been obscure Canadian church plays." Jenny Nicholson never disappoints.

[@ambds1975]

I wonder what Jenny N has been up to late- oh of course.

[@sbondiw7943]

@@ambds1975 I mean OBVIOUSLY

[@jjj7790]

I'm constantly surprised by Jenny's ability to find the most obscure "bad" media and turn them into a genuinely interesting videos.

[@egoaltar5999]

​@@jjj7790 I think Jenny really shines the further the subject of her content iss from the mainstream. This video is up there with her analysis of Hallmark's youtube channel

[@swish3432]

I’m glad she’s getting her audience of pagans into good Christian media

[@everyonehtswill]

I know the casting drama for these plays was INSANE

[@joshualucas1821]

Not really, it's like the same 3 people in the lead roles every year

[@middlenerd178]

I honestly don’t think there was a lot of casting for these shows? The roles seem written for people to play them, so maybe they cast before writing them.

[@middlenerd178]

Oh, and also, I’m guessing that the leads are just the leadership team. At my old church, that group was called the church council, and it usually consisted of the pastor, the Sunday school leader, the choir director, some guy, and the piano guy.

[@claidoh]

"i may BE more like an alley cat, but i FEEL like a women" nearly killed me

[@daishoryujin95]

*let’s go girls*

[@JayGC]

It’s the inspiration behind It’s Always Sunny’s Maureen Ponderosa.

[@wiley9882]

the way i cackled

[@bertschwood]

ok that woman just taking the wig completely off to wash the Jesus character's feet was original comedy gold tbh. no way the youth pastor came up with that one that was all her

[@vladimirvilliani6732]

Time stamp please🤣

[@alisaurus4224]

That was unironically hilarious, and from the reactions of the other actors i think it wasn’t rehearsed and she sprung that on them live

[@alisaurus4224]

@@vladimirvilliani6732 50:29

[@kie2]

It just struck me how amazing these actors are. You either need absolutely no ego or no self awareness to do the rap break on a church cover of counting stars while dressed as han solo

[@cabk.4538]

That's just the baffling power of theater kids

[@danmacarro]

I really don't think this is a "weird or embarrassing" thing because of that! It is so earnest. The actors and production are really good, I didnt look them up but I hope the church itself has a general positive doctrine and theology

[@alexpalaciossantos4940]

@@danmacarro i mean the religion is based around blindly worshipping a god that mass murdered children and impregnated another one

[@supme7558]

Nah

[@TheWizardGamez]

Christ works in amazing ways

[@sparks1121]

"This is how we do it where I come from" my brother in christ hikaru sulu is from san francisco

[@umchoyka]

And Kung Fu is distinctly a Chinese martial art, not Japanese...

[@ayoyo_wololo]

*bhurather in kuraistu

[@gingganggoolie]

​@@ayoyo_wololoik this is an insane nitpick to make, but the romaji would probably be //Buraza in Kuraisuto// There's no "tu" mora in Japanese, they have "chu" instead

[@srslywhathappened]

​@@ayoyo_wololonot only did I crack up laughing at your comment, but it has a "translate to English" button. I clicked it, and it changed to "brother in Christ" and this has absolutely sent me lol

[@OfficialPrettyLittleLiars]

I can’t decide whether the Christian Gangnam Style rendition or the female nazi singing Adele is my favorite

[@OfficialPrettyLittleLiars]

Also the electric guitar guy actually has some SPICE to him and deserved even more time

[@thinkhector]

How does that sentence even truthfully exist?

[@georgekerscher5355]

r/brandnewsentences

[@discordlexia2429]

What a line.

[@ramywiles]

This is an absolutely WILD comment to see when I'm only two minutes in, bless you for leaving it

[@Triforcefilms]

Lol. The Luke joke you were confused about, "Altona" is a town/city in Manitoba near Winnipeg. There is a prominent religious population and many speak a form of low German. So it's just a local geography culture joke.

[@jaserathgeber1411]

Yeah the Mennonites! Leia also makes a joke about them being pacifists and batman makes a stereotype joke about them being cheap lol.

[@clellieirwin2155]

Boosting this because I had to scour the comments to find the answer to this burning question

[@matthewstands]

Most of the jokes are directed at Mennonites, who are famously pacifists. It seems more gentle ribbing than mean-spirited though.

[@benadams8895]

I was about to comment the same thing. It seems like they make a lot of jokes about the Amish in this plays

[@suwaia6246]

Isn't this the same area Dwight Schrute from The Office is supposed to be from?

[@JesseColton]

The continual use of "string him up" no matter the universe or characters to begin the crucifixion always amuses me

[@H4hT53]

Especially because there was absolutely no string involved in Roman-style crucifixions.

[@hydieblack7686]

Lynching. Just…. Just saying….

[@TheOtherChosenOnes]

The soft ‘ahhr’s in the background 8:57

[@Attilablabla]

@H4hT53 How else would they fasten them to the cross?

[@CreamyPesto505]

@@Attilablabla >_>

[@a.a.l.3236]

I have watched this video so many times since it came out and the delayed, off-pitch and scratchy "WOah" Vizzini gives for Walking on Sunshine at 16:32 still makes me laugh every time. He knew he couldn't hit it, waited a beat too long in doubt, and then still recommits. Perfect. No notes.

[@JilliWanKenobi]

Thank you for the timestamp on that. The "WOah" gets me every time.

[@estarriaofficial6463]

If this church still does these Easter plays. Can’t wait to see them do a Mario play where we see Bowser and the Koopas crucifying Mario on a cross

[@nathandavis2377]

They do. This year they did "Beauty and the Beaster" and belle gets crucified. The post crucifixion lament is free bird. And everyone sings time warp from the rocky horror show together. Iconic all around.

[@jordanplayz5637]

I would KILL for this one blu-ray

[@LifesNeverHumDrum]

Would the crucifix be a warp pipe or a flag pole

[@yuarentlucky]

​@@LifesNeverHumDrumFLAG POLE.

[@yuarentlucky]

Mario died for our sins. Yahoo...

[@MsPhillipsify]

Jenny: Robin of the Hood Me: Oh No. Jenny: If the title makes you nervous, that's a good impulse. Me: Oh NO.

[@stephenwilliams203]

Lmao, same!

[@karaswentowsky7493]

I had the same reaction! Had to pause to give into my laughing fit immediately so I wouldn't miss anything.

[@Michael-tw7rw]

OH YEAH!!!!!

[@rach_laze]

OK but Men in Tights did it first and much better and yet somehow worse

[@Kennie0124]

Ditto... LMAO.

[@XAVR_]

"Bonus points for the pyrotechnics when Christ rises from the dumpster" That's an entirely new sentence that's never been said before.

[@Znaffers]

I love how you can see Jenny’s laser blaster shield from the Starcruiser in the background

[@mrh8142]

Wow, you can! I commend your eagle eyes

[@reggiethelion]

As someone who grew up Evangelical I just realized "the joke going on uncomfortably long" is a major feature of Evangelical humour and my childhood.

[@willyeeton4390]

Growing up Christian and homeschooled, Princess Bride and Tombstone were just hot picks for this particular culture of like, trendy gen X nerd Christian. I feel so weird seeing Jenny just not get it while I'm just, instantly in on the joke, lmao.

[@doing_aok]

additionally: parodies of pop culture. see bibleman and veggietales

[@lydiafayre9806]

They realize they've found something that can make someone laugh a little and they milk the joke until it's drained, dead, and dessicated

[@Furufoo]

@@doing_aok Not to come off as preachy but it's almost like religious types can't come up with anything original because religion seems to be antithetical to personal expression most times

[@macgirl1234]

It's a staple, for sure.

[@JacobKarr]

"50% accurate Robin Williams" is the perfect description of that impression

[@lillianward2810]

Absolutely

[@DerpsWithWolves]

"Bonus points for the pyrotechnics when Christ rises out of the dumpster." A brand new sentence.

[@Zzzk23]

HAHAHHA

[@mistydayremainsofthejudgment]

this whole video is so quotable omg

[@spencercorpuz]

Hahahahah

[@jimc.goodfellas]

There's almost no way that sentence had ever been uttered before in human history

[@boomingbob1579]

This whole video is things you can’t make up

[@raifejohnson3426]

Being a Jenny Nicholson fan is having a deep and powerful nostalgia for the song “I’ll be there” despite never having heard it outside this video

[@Antifearn]

I only knew that song growing up because it was in Wii Music 😅

[@Juliana-du3kk]

…. are we all the same person? It gets stuck in my head all the time now

[@esky203]

that section in the princess bride play where vizzini takes a too long pause between 'I'm walking on sunshine' and then screaming instead of singing 'woah' is my new ring tone

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

Best part of this video for sure

[@MiddleChild1111]

oh god the part where I need to sing the 'woah' is coming up soon. it's got got that high e note that I always struggle to nail in rehearsal couldn't they have rearranged it to suit my voca... oh shhh, did I miss it? no I can still make it. perhaps I don't need to. but my audience expects it. well here we go..." "Wggghaaaaowwwhhh!!!" nailed it (just like our lord and saviour amen 🙏 )

[@Barnaclebeard]

Stopped the video, went back and clipped it as soon as I could stop laughing.

[@simoneevangelista2559]

16:29

[@Digglesisdead]

I've only watched as far as the Ace Ventura part but I'm looking forward to the Princess Bride part.

[@MonarchsFactory]

I have to know why they felt the need to force a literal crucifixion into every single play... Imagine if Aslan had to be nailed to a cross for the metaphor to carry

[@agilagilsen8714]

It probably would have needed that if these guys were in charge of the story. Or at the very least, if they managed to make a story where it wasn’t needed, they would have forced it in there I think.

[@goldstarsforall]

I mean he does get sacrificed on the altar in lion the witch and the wardrobe before resurrecting to help the kids save the world and that's him being 'crucified' so yak now

[@batnacks]

I mean he was tied to a table

[@ThreadBomb]

@@batnacks That's just a lazy crucifixion.

[@codeofclaw]

I can’t believe they didn’t do a Narnia one, seriously the pins were already there you just had to knock them down!

[@littlemau1360]

I get so sucked into Jenny's commentary that I forget that one of the characters in this play is going to get horribly and hilariously crucified in just a few short moments.

[@dickbuttkis]

Back from the future's crucifixion made me spit my drink

[@nemo-zl1vm]

It's so jarring. Other than some questionable racial stereotyping, these plays are so anodyne, squeaky clean and super cheesy. Then boom, one of the characters is fucking dead from crucifixion. I get that they gotta do it, it being an Easter play and all, but how weird would that be without the context of religion? Like, you're watching a cutesy kids' cartoon about talking farm animals and then the farmer casually chops off Mr. Chicken's head; it's just whiplash tone shifts.

[@gatesunn]

it's funny every time

[@bucketofparts]

@@nemo-zl1vm you don't "GOTTA" do it...my church as a kid had way more subtle Easter plays with completely original material. I wouldn't say the writing was great, but it was better than this dreck. No crucifixions, except maybe allegorical. I think our congregation would have been pretty offended to see Jack Sparrow or Tony Stark made literally into Jesus. Of course, the youth pastor who wrote our plays turned out to be a child molester, so...you win some, you lose some, I guess.

[@eatmyphatphuckingass]

@@dickbuttkis 💀💀 genuinely thought it was parody

[@DC-ts4uu]

The Lion King should've done Africa by Toto with the lyrics changed to "God blessed the rains down in Africa." That seems like a freebie to me

[@davehollis5816]

Yeah but that would be creative and funny, so

[@MightyMewtron]

This has the vibe of when you come across someone's deviantArt gallery and they have a ton of fanart for a variety of fandoms, but they're themed around one particular thing that tips it off as a fetish.

[@trailblazer225]

I love that in this analogy the fetish is Easter and the resurrection of Jesus

[@onlyopia131]

@@trailblazer225 jesus is basically a fetish

[@saltywatermelon1144]

This comment reminds me of sarispy56 with all her fanart of rice crispy characters, animaniacs, and danger mouse forcibly being wrapped in mummy bandages.

[@DarkestElemental616]

You put the thing into WORDS

[@bigovergrownrat40]

YEAH like one time i came across someones ao3 where they wrote all nice found family fics for a fandom im in but in EVERY FIC someone was getting nonconsensually tickled??? this is that exact vibe

[@jortsofficial173]

Obsessed with the fact that almost every crucifixion is preceded by the cast chanting "Crucify him!" or "String him up!" in perfect chorus.

[@elizabethsmith7224]

I mean that's the story in general. Jesus was yelled at a mocked leading up to his death.

[@jortsofficial173]

@@elizabethsmith7224 There is a difference between a crowd mocking a man and a perfectly in unison "Crucify him! Crucify him!" That's more so the funny part rather than the Christian mythology itself.

[@dumbumbumbum8649]

@@jortsofficial173 I assume it’s a reference to Jesus Christ Superstar

[@PeanutTechno]

Idea: Every Production of the Church Play Cinematic Universe all at once, but they're all timed so that the crucifixions all synch up perfectly

[@JordanNone-ul3oc]

I think it's kind of just a church play thing? Like I can remember the church I grew up in having plays in which they chanted "crucify him" in unison. Evidently, that's what churches take from "they all yelled to crucify him" or whatever the exact Bible verse is.

[@BornNoU]

The pause between “I’m walking on sunshine” and the scared sounding “WHOOOA!” is too funny

[@PlayMadness]

An accurate reaction to stepping on the sun.

[@sosaysjayrod]

@@PlayMadness Smash Mouth tried to warn us

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

I've watched this video like five times now, and that bit still makes me uncontrollably bust out laughing.

[@QUEERVEEART]

omg i laughed so hard

[@maxresdefault_]

16:29 Timestamping for later lol

[@The_Texorcist]

If only they would do a version of The Room. YOUR TEARING ME APART JUDAS! Oh hey Mark.

[@CB-L]

_Why Judas, why why! (thrashing the room)_

[@JayTorin]

I did not stone her! I did not!

[@TsukishimaLia]

It's actually kind of interesting, now that you mention it, that these plays actually don't seem to have a Judas character (unless there was and Jenny just didn't mention it). The crucifiction is entirely orchestrated by a (sometimes literally) cartoonish villain -literally Satan in at least one of them- and there seems to be no parallel iconography to the betrayal/the silver coins etc, which is odd considering how important all of it is to the easter story. Idk if that's related to their being an evangelical church, idk the difference between different christian churches

[@eklectic497]

“It is finished” -Captain Jack Sparrow, as he is crucified on a ship sail This is absolutely insane and I’m so ready to binge all of these

[@jman809]

He's alive! I thought he forgot his KZbin password

[@jockeyfield1954]

can't wait for when freddy fazbear gets crucified on the fnaf 1 door

[@judyh3707]

@@jockeyfield1954 omg fnaf would be perfect for their 2023 Easter play...

[@atomicdancer]

No disrespect to Captain Savior, but "It is finished," is not as cool an exit line as: 'Ello, beastie!

[@thealmightycouch311]

@@atomicdancer You can't beat the original Jack Sparrow

[@wade2306]

God DAMN, I had forgotten about the "walkin on sunshiiiine, WOAUGUGH" holy shit it's so good

[@Moonhermit-]

"Walking on sun shiiine... ... ... ...WHOAAUUGH!!!" Buddy zoned out for a while the Lord was busy rebooting his system.

[@PemTheLoathsomeCasual]

He gives you just enough time to think "oh he knows he can't hit that note so he's going to skip it" then BAM!

[@carolmartin7251]

Hahaha, yeah. I was showing this to my husband and he literally jumped and went "argh!" next to me on the couch when Vizzini finally committed to the Waoaoaaggghh!@@PemTheLoathsomeCasual

[@DennisTague]

I like that every time they crucify someone, the bad guys say “STRING ‘EM UP!”

[@pureorangeness]

You know the drill, boys!

[@unduloid]

@@pureorangeness "Drill? Drill? Oh yeah, we could use that!"

[@PeacefulZealot]

It makes sense in Tombstone. Perhaps less sense in The Avenger.

[@JensineE]

1 like = 1 string

[@losfp]

Glorious. The lady playing Princess Leia is absolutely channeling Tina Fey as Liz Lemon cosplaying Princess Leia to get out of jury duty in 30 Rock.

[@robertkarnick1286]

I can’t process the backwards logic of renaming Marty “Jesse” just to sing Jesse’s Girl instead of just changing the song to “Marty’s Girl”

[@3000spiders]

To be fair "marty's girl" doesn't sound quite as good with the music IMO. But there are a truckload of confusing choices in these shows

[@Will-en6zj]

I might be remembering wrong, but it could be because it's easier to hit the high note in the chorus with the "Eh" sound. Also, "M" is a hard vowel to start a high note on if you're going for a quick attack. Plus, the first syllable ends with an "r" sound, which sounds ugly if you over-pronounce it, but you have to also make sure it comes through within the span of an eighth note. It wouldn't be impossible to sing, but it would be hard to give it that same detached feeling the original chorus had.

[@snugglebunny5000]

Could be a reference to The Tree of Jesse which is the genealogy of Jesus

[@leow.2162]

They should have gone with Hey Mickey. They also should have named him Mickey.

[@AnnDVine]

it also sounds more like Jesus

[@disasterdrvid]

“For three days Robin lay at the bottom of the dumpster” genuinely made me choke on my food from laughter. Pack it up every other writer, we can’t possibly top that 💀

[@marcusr4711]

I think what tops it is Jenny’s addition of “[…] the pyrotechnics when Jesus rose from the dumpster”

[@doris.9230]

"It is Satan himself that kills Jesus by shooting him with a bazooka" is unfairly hilarious

[@amyadams2253]

I am OBSESSED with the Call Me Maybe lyric changes! I think this version should have been incorporated into the Loki show

[@cminor-j6x]

The 'I'm walking on sunshine' followed by the out of time and key 'woah' is the pinnacle of live performance for all of human history and I will die on this hill.

[@allyli1718]

I hadn’t watched that part when I read this comment and now that I have, I can say you’re absolutely right

[@deaconkonc4720]

It's somehow made funnier by the fact that it is completely unacknowledged by Jenny

[@dankerbell]

the occasional out of context clips say more than jenny ever could

[@daveconnor6174]

16:29 XD

[@abbewinter9249]

I scrolled past this comment at first because I didn't know what you were talking about. Then it happened, and I cried with laughter, and had scroll back up just to tell you how right you were.

[@frabjuosity]

The way Monty Python's Life of Brian was literally banned in some countries for blasphemy and these guys are out here doing an Easter Holy Grail parody - I love it so much.

[@SECONDQUEST]

If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you? I feel the same way, I'm not religious but hot damn some of the jokes were zingers

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

Bwian- "I'm not the messiah." Follower- "I say you are, lord, and I should know. I've followed a few.

[@darkmyro]

or the use of queen songs( cause protestant Christianity really rejects anything gay or bi) or the occasional song that talks about drug use or the sideways tango.

[@SsnakeBite]

The stupidest part is that the whole point of Life of Brian is that it's NOT about Jesus.

[@katashworth41]

It was advertised in Norway as “The film so funny it was banned in Sweden”.

[@frogboy831]

“~i’m walkin’ on sunshine~……….. Ẉ̸̛̔̀̉̈́̈́͆̑̀̓̃̿̀̓͝ͅḨ̸̨̹͎̫̱̩͚̦̗͍̺̖̽̄͊̽̆̿̓̓̍̿͘͘͝͝ͅͅÚ̴͕̻͎͔̪̙͇̠̩̲̤̻͎̗̌̚U̴̢̟͂̉̽̋̋͜-“

[@lillianward2810]

I wish the guy who tried to sing the opening of Kung Fu Fighting in the Star Trek one got the same love.

[@racheljenn1628]

I DIED

[@reginaborsellino3607]

Sometimes when I’m trying to fall asleep this line plays on repeat in my head

[@frogboy831]

@@reginaborsellino3607 it's taking over my brain space

[@CattyAttie]

It *SLAYED* me! I was crying laughing so hard 🤣

[@jaytee63236]

According to my research, Altona is town in Manitoba founded by Russian Mennonites. This explains both the "Low German" C-3PO joke and the "conscientious objectors during the Clone Wars" Leia joke. Altona is about an hour away from Church of the Rock in Winnipeg, so that would explain the congregation's reaction to the jokes.

[@horvathsogranfume658]

i hope Jenny sees your great comment

[@ChristopherMountenay]

Not Russian, Swiss-German. (Sorry, descendant of Mennonites here)

[@eirinym]

It's also true that there's an Altoona in Pennsylvania, and in Germany, there's also an Altona by Hamburg where historically they actually would speak low German. So it's actually just referential humour, so sorry to Jenny. It's not gonna be great news for her.

[@jaytee63236]

@@ChristopherMountenay Low German speaking Russians, in the case of Altona.

[@BuddyCrotty]

Man, crucifying Michael Jackson the year after his actual death barely breaks the top 10 of questionable decisions in this series.

[@BodywiseMustard]

Comparing him to their prophet is the most fucked up bit. He was a paedophile

[@FFMgamingtv]

It's probably not even top 5 from that play alone

[@christineherrmann205]

Like... choosing Michael Jackson for that analogy in the first place?

[@isettophonfire]

He would have still been alive at that point too which is funnier

[@humanpotato17]

and then tossing his body in a dumpster after, like.... who allowed this??

[@lordmanimani-]

I'm so Jennypilled at this point that any time there's a dramatic moment like Jack Savior dying in the rigging I expect a hard cut to China Beach.

[@m0zarts-animation]

~through the mirror of my mind~

[@_june_lost]

tHe sEries thAt brOUGtH wOMEn to thE fRONT liNE

[@abbywolffe4114]

*I.V.! JONES! STRAIGHT TO IT! NOW!* _helicopter noises_

[@erraticonteuse]

@@abbywolffe4114 _whooooooosh ocean sounds shoooooooo_

[@living411]

no but that would've been sick 🤣

[@jpyanity443]

"Bonus points to the pyrotechnics as Christ rises out of the dumpster" is probably one of my new favorite out of context lines

[@villainousthoughts]

'I really wanted to see one of these toys nailed to a cross' got me good as well

[@angiemaestre638]

i feel like this whole video is full of them lol

[@rhiiazami]

I think it's followed closely by "It's a disappointing crucifixion in my opinion. I really wanted to see one of these toys nailed to a cross."

[@HyperLuminal]

7:01 Captain Jack actually is a real 90’s eurodance song. They didn’t shoehorn the “captain Jack” lyrics.

[@femmepraxis]

I scrolled forever in the comments to see if someone shared this yet. Captain Jack is the group name and I think the track they’re parodying is called Captain Jack? I know it from DDR-I’m old enough to have played when it was new but too young to club in the 90s so as far as I know that’s how a lot of people in N. America know Captain Jack!

[@OliverRPendle]

There was something deeply meditative in its sheer hilarity when they joyfully yell "Let's Crucify him!" and then for about 30s to 1min all you can hear in the silence is people fumbling around and the squeaks and scuffs of shoes on the set as they try to tie x novelty character to y novelty cross.

[@alexfreeman-day7027]

"string 'em up!"

[@Minam0]

I love how the character being crucified never puts up any fight. Stage directions are getting from Point A to Point B and they sure as hell aren’t going to deviate.

[@RatzaChewy]

@@Minam0 The lack of a fight is pretty accurate if they're going for allegory. Jesus didn't resist, he just submitted to whatever he was being accused of before being crucified.

[@OliverRPendle]

​@@RatzaChewy You are right, but personally I love how the expression of the "Jesus" Character isn't submitting or sad or scared but just kind of... put out. Like this is a bit of an inconvenience. Even when he's on the cross, looking down, he's like: "Oh, yeah, that's me.... it's kind of a funny story."

[@steelheartii6525]

Especially Iron Man, he just goes " :( " xDD

[@setheus]

So for the 2023 Easter play, they sadly did not do Avatar... they did Beauty and the Beast. They replaced the rose with the apple of Adam and Eve (it's given by a witch that's ripped from Snow White), Adam (the Beast) is the one who bites it and is poisoned, turning into the beast. Belle carries around a big cardboard prop Holy Bible as the only thing she reads. She sings Taylor Swift's Never Getting Back Together when Gaston proposes, and Call Me Maybe (lyrics unchanged) when she chooses to stay with the Beast, after he protects her from the Party City werewolves. Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Ms. Potts sing a de-sexualized version of Time Warp. I don't know who in this evangelical audience will get that one, or ever admit to seeing Rocky Horror. At the end, we have a progressive twist! Belle is in fact the one who gets crucified- because when the villagers are breaking into the castle, Gaston willfully and happily bashes her through the castle door with a tree log ram. Ms Potts sings the post crucifixion lament, Belle revives wearing a yellow prom dress from Goodwill, and the Beast in his human form just wanders onstage to give a little speech about how ~we all~ have a beast in us. The sinful apple is nowhere to be seen nor mentioned again. They finish it off by lethargically dancing behind Ms Potts as she sings Dancin' in the Street. God help us all.

[@idontneedaname318]

wait they did a story that's not the easter story!! incredible

[@berrybaby1570]

is this real? please say yes.

[@freegameskidsteens]

@@berrybaby1570 there are video recaps of it and i think the whole things online

[@cephalopat]

yes it's real and also i swear to god the post crucifixion lament is Free Bird and the resurrection happened right as the guitar solo kicked in. it was the best thing ive ever seen with my own two eyes

[@alicethemad1613]

It’s killing me that they actually had a female Christ and it’s the one time where it doesn’t make any sense. Like his name is already Adam, he dies and is resurrected by her love in the base story (which was basically a perfect setup for a lament), and then he transforms and saves the day, and the resurrection IS ALREADY THE END OF THE STORY. They don’t even have to cut any climax out! The beast literally dies to save her and breaks the curse of the castle. It’s perfect. This is so insane and such a baffling choice I love it with my whole heart.

[@johann392]

This is the closest thing we’re gonna get to inter dimensional cable. Just the concept sounds baffling. “Iron-Man resurrects after getting crucified, and everyone sings footloose”

[@bahamutbbob]

This would be a channel on interdimensional cable though. Just these plays.

[@sillylovesongs581]

The awkward silence, heavy breathing, and loud shuffling whenever they’re struggling to get the actor up and crucified takes me out every time

[@lucienvvy]

I can't convey how many repressed memories you've unlocked. Your favorite lament singing woman is my stepmother. I had no idea this existed, one of my American friends showed this to me without knowing the connection 😂. Also to clarify, for some of the early plays, yes a lot of the jokes are very localized to southern Manitoba.

[@marleybeavers]

is she as much of a queen as her beautiful voice implies?

[@sari9645]

If yall are still part of the church you NEED to get CD copies of all the plays and send them to Jenny

[@tenshimoon]

Oh cool connection! I've never attended Church of the Rock, but after watching this I'm planning on attending their Easter service next spring JUST to see one of these plays in person 💀

[@matt-dr4fk]

Please serve us the tea on these things

[@sapphirethesapphic]

@@tenshimoonplease if you do go report back on what theme they do, i’m predicting barbie