Oliver Samuels And CBS Star Zay Harding To Lead Explosive Easter Revival Of The Rope and The Cross

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. February 5, 2026: Jamaican acting icon Oliver Samuels and CBS television star Zay Harding will headline the cast of The Rope and The Cross, the groundbreaking religious epic by legendary Jamaican playwright Easton Lee, returning to the New York stage for a one-night-only Gala Easter Sunday performance on April 5.

Jamaican acting icons David Heron and Oliver Samuels. Photo courtesy of Karl O’Brian Williams.

The special presentation will take place at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, (JPAC), in Queens at 7 p.m., following a complimentary Caribbean Cuisine Easter Reception hosted by The Door Restaurant at 5:30 p.m.

Presented as an exclusive staged reading concert performance, the event is produced and directed by BroadwayWorld Award winner David Heron, in special arrangement with the estate of the late playwright.

A Radical Caribbean Reimagining of the Passion Story

Set across rural Jamaica and ancient Jerusalem, The Rope and The Cross shatters traditional depictions of Christ’s passion. Lee’s visionary work reimagines Jesus and Judas as modern-day Jamaican men – young, defiant, and determined to dismantle injustice and inequality.

As state power closes in through deception and manipulation, the two rebels discover a brutal truth: entrenched systems will stop at nothing to silence change. The result is a searing political and spiritual drama that remains as urgent today as when it premiered in Jamaica in 1979.

Legend Meets Leading Man

Samuels, a three-time Actor Boy Award winner, takes on the role of The Shepherd Narrator, guiding audiences through the story across time and place. With a career spanning more than 60 stage productions, Samuels’ film credits include The Mighty Quinn opposite Denzel Washington and Great Moments in Aviation with Vanessa Redgrave. He recently completed the U.S. premiere tour of Di Prodigal Pickney.

DAVID HERON AND ZAY HARDING. Photo courtesy of Zay Harding.

Harding – best known as host of CBS’s The Visioneers With Zay Harding, now in its second season with record-breaking 2025 ratings — portrays High Priest Annas, a calculating power broker whose actions help seal the tragic fate of Jesus and Judas.

His acting credits include American Horror Story, Mistresses, and Hawaii Five-O, as well as stage roles including Camelot at American Conservatory Theater.

Honoring Caribbean Theatre Legacy

For Heron, the production continues a mission to preserve and elevate Caribbean theatre on the global stage.

“Two years ago, we presented the American premiere of Alwin Bully’s McBee at JPAC,” Heron said. “With The Rope and The Cross, we are once again honoring a master whose voice still speaks powerfully. Easton Lee captured the rebellious spirit of Jamaica during the era of Prime Minister Michael Manley and drew striking parallels to resistance in biblical Israel. That tension — ancient and modern — makes this play timeless.”

He added, “Oliver and Zay will be seen in ways audiences have never experienced them before. This is not just theatre — it’s a cultural event.”

Event Details

The Rope and The Cross
Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026
Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC), Queens, NY
Complimentary Easter Reception: 5:30 p.m.
Performance: 7:00 p.m.

Tickets on sale: Tuesday, February 10
Tickets: theropeandthecross.eventbrite.com
Early Easter Special pricing through: February 24
Box Office: 646-533-7021