García described the play as interweaving serious critique of consumer society, despair over the human race through a deconstruction of Jesus of Nazareth.
[2][3] For Golgota Picnic, Rodrigo Garcia has collaborated for the first time with musician Marino Formenti, who performs in the show "The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour On the Cross" by Joseph Haydn on a piano, completely naked.
[4][6] Archbishop of Toulouse, Robert Le Gall, said that the play "fouled the faith of many believers", and bishop Dominique Rey of Frejus-Toulon criticized Garcia's depiction of Christ as "madman, dog, pyromaniac, messiah of Aids, devil-whore, no better than a terrorist".
[11] Dissenting artists held informal readings of the play, and a number of prominent artists led by film director Agnieszka Holland petitioned Polish government to intervene and prevent religious radicals from violating the freedom of expression, describing the protester actions as "an assault against Polish and European democracy and a symptom of backwardness".
[3] Meanwhile, politicians from the conservative Law and Justice party said that the play violates Polish blasphemy laws (Article 196 of the Polish Criminal Code which states that the "anyone who offends the religious feelings of other people [can be] subject to a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to two years"), and filed a motion with prosecutions for investigation.