Good Friday drama plays out on Greensburg streets

In Greensburg, the "Way of the Cross" is several city blocks long and, at times, hard to watch.

A live portrayal of the suffering of Jesus, the Good Friday drama attracted dozens of churchgoers and non-churchgoers to downtown Greensburg. Some seemed to want to look away but couldn't.

"Best seat in the house," said Ron Guidas, standing across the street from the Westmoreland County Courthouse, where the drama began at 11:30 a.m.

Guidas, of Greensburg, watched with granddaughters Margaret "Maggie" Alcorn, 8, and Jaidyn Alcorn, 7, who have been learning about the life of Christ at the Greensburg Salvation Army.

While Jaidyn stayed close to her grandfather, Maggie was near the front of the procession, watching as Jesus, played for years by Rick Zabrosky, was kicked and mocked by eight Roman guards.

"He wanted to do it for us and for our sins," Maggie explained.

Sponsored by the Greensburg Ministerium, the annual drama aims to show the passion of Christ, from Pontius Pilate's sentence to the crucifixion — although the latter is not shown.

Actors shouted "Crucify him!" in front of the courthouse, then watched as Zabrosky was led away by the guards. Greensburg police closed the streets as the procession wound its way down Main Street, Otterman Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and Third Street.

The guards put a purple robe on Zabrosky, then forced him to carry a large wooden cross. "Let's go, mighty king. Move!" one of them said.

Two actors dressed in biblical garb looked on but insisted there was nothing they could do.

"He must have done something wrong to be taken up to be crucified," the man said. "This is none of our business."

"Yeah, I have things to do," the woman said.

Zabrosky stumbled in front of Lapels men's clothing store and again at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Second Street. An actor playing Simon of Cyrene was made to carry the cross from there.

As the guards kept up their insults, the religious leaders accompanying the procession expressed impatience. "Crucify him already," one of them said.

Outside Noble Vision Center, a cadre of women tried to intervene. "That's my son!" one said, revealing herself to be Mary.

The drama ended at First Reformed United Church of Christ, 312 S. Maple Ave., where Zabrosky was taken inside and "crucified." To the pounding sound of nails, he said, "Father, forgive them."

Melanie Testa, who followed the half-hour procession with the help of a cane, said she found the presentation "very moving. ... I can't imagine what the real thing was like."

Testa, 64, of Greensburg, said she hadn't attended for years but wanted to see the drama again. One of the Roman guards was her friend's son.

"I think it's very effective. They tell the story well. You can really feel the brutality," she said.

"They did a really good job — how they captured the story as a whole," said Patricia Diane Morris, 39, of Belle Vernon.

Morris, a Catholic, attended partly to take pictures for a storyboard project for Westmoreland County Community College, where she is a photography/multimedia student.

Roman guard Joel Trentin, 19, of Hempfield, seemed winded at the end. "It is hard. It's something you have to get into the mindset of," he said.

Zabrosky, 51, of Greensburg, looked physically spent following his portrayal of Jesus. He said some of the kicks from the guards were real.

"I'll be feeling it for days," he said. "This is what he had to go through."

Stephen Huba is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-850-1280 or shuba@tribweb.com.