Power of Pacing

The performance The Flight into Egypt done by the Foxwood Community Centre in the York Mystery Plays depicts the biblical story of the angel, Gabriel, visiting Joseph to tell him that he and Mary must flee with the baby Jesus. Unlike the other guilds that chose to use music and visual aids to engage the audience, the actors in The Flight into Egypt use purposeful humor, movement, and sound of voice to catch the audience’s interest.

The first line of the play is spoken by the angel, Gabriel, but in order to set up the scene, the audience sees Joseph working with a hammer at a table. He pauses in his hammering, looks at the audience, and wipes his brow. The audience laughs. Joseph continues to play on the audience’s sense of humor by snoring while Gabriel tries to wake him, granting Joseph more laughter. In some of the other plays, the humor that came from the performances was not from the play itself, but from mishaps. For example, God’s hat almost falls off in one performance that causes laughter in the audience. The Flight into Egypt differs in that the character portraying Joseph is acting as the audience might in their personal lives when faced with hard work and being woken up in the middle of the night.

Later, as Joseph is telling Mary to pack because they must flee, he responds to Mary’s displeasure and worry by saying –

Bere harm? No, I trow but small. But God is what I must care for all, for bed and back and all the pack that needs unto us. . .

As he continues to speak of being dependent on God, Joseph moves below the stage near the audience and walks to the donkey and back to the stage. In some of the other plays, when a character begins a long monologue, the audience is tempted to zone out, but Joseph's constant movement keeps the audience’s eyes on him. Joseph’s movement also keeps the audience from focusing on Mary’s packing in the background and diverting the attention away from his words.

At the end of the performance, Joseph, while holding the baby Jesus, speaks of how God will help them come to no harm. As Joseph speaks, his voice becomes louder and more emphatic until he is shouting. Think of when someone is in danger or in trouble, people often use a loud voice to grab their attention. The force behind Joseph’s words added to the sound of his voice, engages the audience in what he is saying and helps the audience to feel his attitude of going “with cheer”.

The dynamic nature of Joseph’s character is such that he is able to provide the humor as well as the primary message of the play - to trust in God. Interestingly, the pacing of humor, movement, and voice in the play show the audience Joseph’s character developing from a man without motivation to a man with a strong drive to do the will of God.