Elise Groves and Caroline Olsen take part in the performance of "The Mystic Rose" at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Mission Church), Oct. 5. Pilot photo/Wes Cipolla
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MISSION HILL -- Maryanne Norton didn't realize that she was at the end of an era. She was just a girl in high school having fun with her friends.
Norton, 81, was the last actress to portray the title character in "Pilate's Daughter," a stage play that was a rite of passage for generations of women and girls who worshiped and attended school at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Mission Hill.
"Pilate's Daughter" was written by Redemptorist Father Francis Kenzel and premiered at St. Alphonsus Hall beside the basilica, better known as Mission Church, in 1902. The five-act melodrama told the story of Pontius Pilate's daughter Claudia, wife Procula, and servant Prisca using music, song, dance, and special effects. It became a beloved perennial tradition for Mission Church, attracted the attention of Broadway producers, and was performed professionally in New York and Philadelphia. Billed as "America's Oldest Passion Play," by 1960, it had been seen by over three million people in the U.S. and Canada. Norton played Claudia every year from 1961 to 1965, when regular performances ceased.
"We'd been watching it all our lives," Norton told The Pilot. "That's what we had. That's what we did."
Being in "Pilate's Daughter" was simultaneously a great honor and a duty. Originally, only high school girls acted in the show, but as the years went on, women of all ages joined the cast. Norton performed with her mother and sisters.
"I have to say I enjoyed myself," she said. "And so did most of the people who were with me. It was for the church, it raised money for the church, and the church needed it."
After Norton's final performance, "Pilate's Daughter" remained a nostalgic memory until a Mission Church volunteer made a stunning discovery in 2016: An original draft of Father Kenzel's script, with handwritten fragments of music by Paul M. Paulsen of the New England Conservatory of Music. Father Philip Dabney, pastor and rector of Mission Church, gave the script and music fragments to Boston-based playwright David Mulei. Mulei teamed up with NEC faculty member Felicia Sandler to compose and write a work which would resurrect "Pilate's Daughter."
On Oct. 5, an ensemble of Boston-area singers and musicians performed "The Mystic Rose," an oratorio based on "Pilate's Daughter," with music by Sandler and lyrics by Mulei, at Mission Church. Norton was in the audience, along with many other Mission Hill natives who had grown up with the original play. Norton thought the oratorio was "delightful."
"It was not meant to be what we did," she told The Pilot. "It was meant to be an oratorio and meant to expand on some aspects of it. I thought it was beautifully done."
After the performance, Sandler was greeted by some of the stars of the original play.
"I was the dead child when I was in second grade," Susan Bath proudly told Sandler.
"Oh, you were?" Sandler replied. "But did you get resurrected?"
"I did."
Multiple people at the performance described Sandler's music as haunting, but she isn't sure if that's the word she would use. Sandler, who is Catholic, wanted the music to be contemplative.
"I would say that I myself am a bit of a mystic," she told The Pilot.
Sandler was drawn to the Desert Fathers and the mystics of the church, so she was inspired by the mysticism in the text of "Pilate's Daughter." Along with words from the original script, Mulei's lyrics include quotes from the writings of Sts. Therese of Lisieux, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila.
"It was an incredible experience," Sandler said. "But it was also particularly poignant because it was in this place where the first play was, to be among people who the original play was so important to."
"The Mystic Rose" is named after the rose which Claudia drops off her balcony and onto Christ as he is led to Calvary. The rose falls to the ground and is trod upon by thousands, but remains unspoiled. The role of Claudia was played by soprano Elise Groves, who has performed in Catholic churches since 2008.
"While I do feel a particular affinity for sacred works in the Christian tradition, I try to approach every role with the same honesty," Groves told The Pilot. "It is important that every character, sacred or not, be given the best that a performer can give."
She enjoyed learning about the history of the original play and its impact on Mission Church.
"Understanding the relationship between that play and the oratorio made the performance much more meaningful," she said. "I find it really important to find a way to maintain those connections with the past while exploring ways to present the same or similar material in a new form."
Amazed by the miracle of the rose, Claudia and her servant Prisca (Janet Stone) become devout Christians who face persecution and tests of faith.
"Part of what made this passion play especially groundbreaking was the way it starred the women who had so often been left off stage," said Redemptorist Father Anthony Michalik in remarks before the performance.
Father Michalik said that the play had resonated for decades not because of its lavish special effects, but because its larger themes of faith and doubt have resonated.
"I believe everyone is searching for something greater than themselves," he said. "And through art, we are often led closer to that great mystery."