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An audience member leapt onto a stage to 'save Jesus from being crucified on the cross' as a performance of the Biblical drama Passion of the Christ descended into chaos.

Video footage shows the bizarre moment the unnamed man rushed onto stage in Nova Hartz town centre in south Brazil this evening to launch his surprise defence of the Christian messiah by attacking and chasing the stunned actor.

Witnesses reported the man saying ‘he was not going to let Jesus die’ before he rushed to defend the shocked actor.

The actor playing the role of a Roman soldier was slammed around the head with a motorcycle helmet and kicked by the assailant seconds after pretending to thrust the spear into the side of the ‘Son of God’.

William da Silva, the city’s planning director, told G1 more than 1,000 people were in the town square watching the show and at first no one could believe what was happening.

(Image: FocusOn News)

(Image: FocusOn News)

He said: "(The man) leapt up from the middle of the audience and no one guessed what he was about to do.

“Witnesses reported the attacker was shouting ‘he was not going to let Jesus die’ before he barged on stage.”

Many watching the Easter spectacle looked on in disbelief while questioning whether this was part of the drama.

Actors on stage ploughed into the audience member as they tried to restrain him, but he continued to lash out as fists flew.

(Image: FocusOn News)

The shocked director, Adriano Ferreira, who manages a company of 80 actors, said: “There are some things that are just inexplicable.

“We halted the play for a few moments, but as no one had been injured, we decided to continue with the staging.

He added that Samir Rodrigues, the actor who was beaten with the helmet, was scared but unharmed.

"This week, a city businessman gave the Roman soldiers new helmets and that probably ended up protecting Samir," Mr Ferreira told.

Most notably, throughout the confusion the actor playing Jesus remains calm and zoned into his role, even when the cross nearly pitches over as his colleagues join in the rush to contain the situation.

(Image: FocusOn News) (Image: FocusOn News)

Many in the audience filmed the dramatic intervention, posting their incredulity and disappointment in comments on social media.

On woman said: “People spend months rehearsing something meaningful then along comes someone to ruin everything.

“The show was in the middle of an amazing and beautiful staging of the Passion of Christ, when a man from the audience suddenly jumped on stage and whacked the actor who was playing a soldier on the back of the head with a motorcycle helmet."

“I was devastated to see the event disrupted in such an awful way,” she added.

(Image: FocusOn News)

Another emotional spectator, who was there with her family, said: “We had to do a double take because we weren’t sure whether this was meant to happen or not.

“When I realised it was truly an unprovoked attack, I started to tremble and cried with disappointment at how the theatrical performance had been messed up by this violence."

One of the actors who helped to restrain the man, and who didn’t want to be identified, revealed: "He said he didn’t know what he was doing and that he couldn’t remember what he was doing there. He kept shouting at people to get away from him.”

The outraged man is alleged to suffer from mental health problems and drug abuse and is known to police.

The assailant’s brother who came to the aid of his sibling, claimed he was taking controlled medication and had been suffering from a psychotic episode.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident after a formal complaint of assault was lodged by the victim.