RELIGION / JOHN DART : Actor Plays Jesus in Passion Play, Along With Less Inspiring Roles

For Rodger Halston, the next few weeks of his career as an actor will go from the divine to the ridiculous.

First, Halston will be seen playing Jesus in the fourth annual Passion Play at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, reputedly Los Angeles’ biggest passion play, and direct the production as well.

Then on June 21, he appears on the Showtime cable network as a scruffy free spirit who smokes a mind-altering drug in “Alien Within,” starring Roddy McDowall. Next, also on Showtime, he depicts a tough-talking, gun-wielding boss of a biosphere experiment in “Alien Terminator.” (“Alien” titles aside, the films are unrelated.)

Halston, to be sure, wouldn’t be the first professional actor to portray disreputable characters as well as the savior figure from Galilee.

But he may be unique in playing Jesus at two ages of life--as an infant and as an adult.

“When I was 6 months old I was the infant Jesus in a church Christmas pageant in Eugene, Ore.,” Halston said. “I played baby Jesus again the next year, but after that I got too rambunctious for the role.”

Halston got his early start in show business because his parents were traveling evangelists and gospel recording artists working out of Oregon. “They had me singing and entertaining since I was 4 years old,” said Halston, whose real last name is Hall.

The actor’s credits since coming to Hollywood nearly four years ago also include soap operas. In that regard, the soap-opera-to-passion play tradition continues at the 7,000-member Shepherd of the Hills congregation.

Actor Robert Newman, who plays Josh on “The Guiding Light” daytime television drama, portrayed Jesus the first two years at the Porter Ranch church affiliated with the Southern Baptists. When Newman moved to New York, Halston was picked to take his place last year.

No Southern California church puts on a springtime musical to rival the size of the annual “Glory of Easter” production at the Rev. Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove.

But Pastor Jess Moody decided four years ago that with so many entertainment-industry people in his Shepherd of the Hills congregation, a large musical production was possible.

The 93-foot, three-level stage set that volunteers built the first year has remained essentially the same. A total of 4,650 people saw the production last year in the 1,100-seat church.

This year, for the five performances that begin at 8 p.m. Friday, an ensemble will provide live music instead of the taped instrumental music used in previous productions. The cast has grown to 120, including choir members. Counting the crew, about 200 volunteers are involved, a larger group than that of any other Los Angeles church’s Easter production.

“We’ve also added some new special effects and new songs,” said Halston.

Doubling as director, Halston has had a chance to define his portrayal of Jesus’ last week as told in the Gospels.

“I always thought of Christ as a completely loving man, a happy and strong man, one who could stand on his own two feet and take the heat,” he said. “He had the ability to reach out and touch anyone who wasn’t touched by anything before.”

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However, there is a vast difference, as the story unfolds, between the happy-go-lucky Jesus on Palm Sunday and his painful death in the Crucifixion, Halston said.

“I’ve never had a more rewarding or fulfilling experience than that of playing Christ,” he said. Playing the role has even changed him somewhat.

“The experience has helped me to relate to other people better, to be more loving. We all have problems with sins in our lives. Jesus had the attitude of ‘Judge not, lest ye be judged,’ and that’s the attitude I try to carry with me.”

Performance times are Friday at 8 p.m., April 8 at 8 p.m., April 9 at 3 p.m., April 14 at 8 p.m. and April 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 with unreserved seating, but prices are $6 each for groups of 20 or more and may include reserved seating. A pre-performance dinner catered by Tony Roma’s restaurant is offered each day. More information is available from the church at (818) 831-9333.