Shevrado Oliver to Star as Jesus in THE ROPE AND THE CROSS at JPAC

Accolade Award winning actor Shevrado Oliver, Actor Boy Award nominee Jerry Benzwick, Audelco Award nominee Dianne Dixon and veteran Jamaican born actress Fleurette Harris are the latest performers to join the Gala Easter Sunday production of Easton Lee's religious epic The Rope and The Cross, which arrives at The Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC) in Jamaica Queens for one night only on Sunday April 5 starting at 7pm.

A complimentary Caribbean Cuisine Easter Reception courtesy of The Door Restaurant will precede the performance, beginning at 5:30pm.

The quartet of Jamaican thespians joins the previously announced duo of CBS TV host Zay Harding ( The Visioneers With Zay Harding) and Actor Boy Award winner Oliver Samuels for the Staged Reading Concert event, which is produced and directed by Broadway World Award winner David Heron.

The Rope and The Cross is set in both rural Jamaica and ancient Jerusalem. The late playwright Easton Lee presents the events surrounding Christ's passion through a distinctly Caribbean lens, presenting Jesus and Judas as modern day Jamaican men- young, courageous and determined to change the status quo to create a more just society. However, they find their efforts thwarted and their very lives at stake, when the authorities around them unite in autocratic opposition to violently suppress any thoughts or hope of societal reform.

Shevrado Oliver, who intriguingly was born on Christmas Day, will play the pivotal role of Jesus. Best known for his work in the television production From Yard currently streaming on TUBI, he won a 2024 Accolade Award as Best Actor for his leading role in the suspense thriller Behind Closed Doors and has also appeared in the popular Jamaican television series, Thicker Than Water. He made his New York stage acting debut in the 2025 Silver Anniversary production of Heron's acclaimed green card comedy, Love and Marriage and New York City. His Jamaican theatre credits include Just Like Girls and Marriage Bizniz.

Jerry Benzwick will portray Judas Iscariot, arguably the most infamous character in biblical history, but whose own life and version of events comes very much to the fore in Lee's story. Benzwick was last seen on the New York stage in Heron's production of Dominican playwright Alwin Bully's McBee, a Caribbean retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Under Bully's direction, Benzwick earned a Jamaican Actor Boy Award nomination as Best Actor for Thomas Southerne's epic drama Oroonoko, while still a student at the Jamaica School Of Drama. He has since been seen on stages in Jamaica and the USA in productions such as God's Way and Single Entry, and in the films Nothing But Ghosts and The Last Britons.

Two time Audelco Award nominee Dianne Dixon is cast as the Mother Of Judas, a fictional character created for The Rope and The Cross by playwright Lee. Dixon earned Audelco nominations for Excellence in Black Theatre Off Broadway as Best Supporting Actress for the musical Jamaica and for the drama Dinner at The Manse. Her recent stage credits include Mama Decemba for Banana Boat Productions, McBee and, most recently, the Brazilian drama Goodbye Doctor Off Broadway at ART /New York. On screen, she has been seen in the Emmy Award winning television series We Are New York as well as in the films RURI and Victims.

Veteran Jamaican actress Fleurette Harris plays the role of Mary, Mother Of Jesus and returns to the stage following a hiatus of several years. Before immigrating to the USA, Harris appeared in several of Jamaica's most popular national pantomimes as well as many theatrical productions across varying genres, including A Raisin in The Sun, The Tempest , Antigone, The Crucible and For Colored Girls. She has also had roles in such feature films as Club Paradise and Klash.

Final casting for The Rope and The Cross will be announced shortly.

The Rope and the Cross is presented in association with The Jamaica Tourist Board, Mesidor PLLC, Results Promo and Marketing, The Door Restaurant and IMC Media.

Tickets are now available online at theropeandthecross.eventbrite.com, with Early Easter Special discount tickets on sale until Tuesday February 24.

Boxoffice infoline for the production is 646 533 7021.

The Jamaica Performing Arts Center is located at 153-10 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica NY, 11432.

PHOTO- Shevrado Oliver

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