said Otto Huber, deputy director of the 2010 Passion Play, in a preperformance lecture for English-speaking ticket- holders. “For the first 200 years the play was held in the churchyard. Then a theater was built and in 1898 they put a roof on it.’’
The roof was for the audience—the performers still braved the elements. “Until 2009 there was no protection for the actors,’’ said Huber, who also recites the prologue before every act. “Now we have a new theater with a retractable roof and for the first time performances at night.’’
The indoor-outdoor theater is bright, modern and comfortable, with all the high-tech sound and lighting equipment required for the special effects in this pol- ished production. The playhouse seats 5,000 people and has a 150-foot wide stage. “There are 800 actors on the stage in the ‘Crucify him!’ scene,’’ Huber said. There are also live animals, large and small. Herod and his wife make a dramatic entrance riding a horse and a camel on stage.
“This year Herod is my dentist,’’ Huber confided with a laugh, “and I am a waiter by (actual employment). We
Italy is splendid, but play’s the thing I
’ve wanted to see the Passion Play since I fi rst visited Oberammergau, Germany, in 1986. That was three plays ago, and the third one was a charm. Last September, I took a tour of Italy that ended in Oberammergau for a performance of the Passion Play.
I chose Italy because I’ve never been there and it occupies such an important place in the history of Christianity. It has Rome, Florence, Venice, the Vatican and vast collec- tions of priceless religious art. Add in the architecture, archaeology, antiq- uity and Italy has it all.
So I thought it would be a perfect prelude to the Passion Play, a journey back through the faith to the very source. But Italy is wonderful in the way an overly rich dinner is wonder- ful. The first few bites are fabulous, and then your appetite starts to wane. After Rome’s Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, Michelangelo’s
Pietà and the Coliseum, the duomo of Siena, the David sculpture in Florence and St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, you can’t digest any more grandeur, magnificence or splendor. You crave a return to the basics—of your diet and your faith. That’s how the Passion Play felt to me: basic, accessible and spiritually nutritious. More than any painting or sculpture, it reminded me why I’m a Christian. From the opening prologue and choral music when Jesus enters Jerusalem, to the luminous triumph of the resurrection, this production reaches out and embraces its audience. You don’t just see it and hear it, you experience it. In 2010 the Passion Play was staged in the afternoon and evening rather than the morning and
afternoon. Why? Because the special effects surrounding the crucifixion scene were more dramatic after dark. Play hours were 2:30-5 p.m. and
8:30-11:30 p.m. My ticket cost 125 euros—about $156—well worth it for five and a half hours of entertain- ment and inspiration. I haven’t mentioned the acting because I can’t judge it. The play is performed in German and I speak only English. Ticket-holders are given a copy of the script in both languages, but it’s hard to follow after dark.
Much as I would have loved to hear the Passion Play in English, I keep in mind what my sister said: “You already know the story.’’ I do. That’s why I was there.
Carol Mueller
are farmers, blacksmiths, woodcarvers, not intellectuals. The son of a butcher, a man born in Oberammergau in 1789, composed the music. “This [play] is the tradition of our village, to show the
suffering Jesus on the cross as our brother who knows our suffering. The story is enigmatic. If Jesus is really the Son of God, why did he have to suffer like that? We show by music and dialogue that he is doing what he is doing by love, because he loves us.’’ More than a half million people saw Passionsspiele
2010, which closed Oct. 3. The next production is nine years away, but Oberammergau remains a tourist destina- tion in the interim. The village is well known for its tradi- tion of woodcarving and is home to the St. Luke Associa- tion of Handcarvers. Member artisans sign their works St.-Lukas-Verein Handgeschnitzt. The scenery of Oberammergau also attracts visitors.
The hills and meadows, rivers and streams that surround the picture-postcard architecture beg to be photographed and enjoyed.
And lest anyone forget the true passion of this village, there is always the cross on the mountaintop.
May 2011 37
CAROL MUELLER
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