The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-22 00:00:00

THE OBER- AMMERGAU PASSION
PLAY.

The first performance of the Passion Play at Ober-Am-
mergau took place on Monday, in the presence of an audience
estimated to number fi-ve thousand persons.—The Daily
News of Tuesday gave the following description of the per-
formance—telegraphed by its Special Correspondent :

At three o'clock this morning a solemn service
was held in the village church, and it continued
with slight intermissions till nearly seven. At six
High Mass was celebrated, when all the performers in
the Passion Play were present. _ _ _ _

The village has been crewded since daybreak. In
fact, rich and poor have been arriving all night long,
and the crush is so great that all tickets for the first
day's performance were sold yesterday by five o'clock,
and at seven last evening the public crier went round
the village with the announcement that in order not to
disappoint those who had travelled far, and been
unable to get places, there would be a second repre-
sentation on Tuesday. The unreserved seats, which
number close on 3,000, were full at a very early hour
in the morning, although the pray did not begin until
eight o'clock.
One could not help noticing the preponderance of
English and Americans in the reserved seats.
English was almost the only language spoken. I
hardly think that there were ten per cent. of Ger-
mans.

Shortly after eight the loud boom of a cannon fired
from a neighbouring elevation announced that the
play was about to commence. All eyes were turned
towards the stage, and the chorus, attired in splendid
robes, advanced in a grave and stately manner, singing
in very fair voices three or four verses beginning with
the words, "Though the anger of God is just, still he
does not wish the death of the sinner." While the
chorus are singing the last verse they divide in the
middle, falling back on either side and disclosing the
central stage. As the last note is heard the curtain
rises, showing a fine tableau, representing the expul-
sion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.
- - -

-.-- ---
When the curtain drops on the first tableau the
chorus resume their original position, and continue
singing until another tableau is shown in the same
way. Then comes the first scene, the chorus of
course retiring. It is the entry of Christ into
Jerusalem. The effect is very fine indeed. Our
Saviour, riding oh an ass, sits sideways, followed
by his disciples and people and children with
flowers. Joseph Maier, who represents Christ, filled
his part admirably, so that the eyes of the
audience of nearly 5,000 people were riveted on him.
The sun was shining brightly at the time, lighting up
the beautiful robes of the performers, and rendering
the scene charming in the extreme. The Saviour
then dismounts, drives out the money changers from
the temple, and overturns their tables. Then follows
a tableau, also well set, representing the conspiracy
of Joseph's brothers. I may remark that all
the subjects of the tableaux vivants are taken
from the Old Testament, and each time are fol-
lowed by a fulfilment from the New Testament.

The seconu scene, remarkable for its gorgeousness,
was the Council of High Priests and others of their
order, discussing what punishment should be dealt to
the Man of Galilee. The scenes which followed were
striking representations of the acts and sufferings of
our Lord up to the Crucifixion. This last scene was
very effective and beautiful, and was performed
in a really wonderful manner. • The audience was
almost breathless with the seeming reality of
the representation. The figure looked as if it was
actually nailed on the cross. Blood was on both
hands and feet, and even with a good opera-glass one
could not possibly detect how Joseph Maier could re-
main so long in this position. The crucifixion
scene lasted twenty-one minutes, and was carried out
in every deilpail, even to the piercing of the breast
with a spear, blood rushing out of the wound.
The actions of the performers were represented
on the one hand With such earnestness, and on the
other with such intense simplicity and devotion,
that one's eyes were fixed to the spot. After the
body was taken down and buried in the sepulchre a
short time elapsed, when the entrance-stone fell,
and Christ appeared clad in silver gauze for but a
moment.

The Times of Wednesday also gives a graphic account of
the Passion Play, from which we make the following ex-
tracts :

The streets of this village were all astir early this
morning with moving crowds of country folk, many of
whom must have left their homes in the night time,
and long before six o'clock the theatre was besieged by
an immense and eager throng—pockets and sachels well
stuffed with humble 'provender for the day—awaiting
the hour which should admit them to the unnumbered
seats. About five o'clock I was attracted by the firing
of cannon and the strains of the village band, which
had thus early begun to dispense its music and rouse
the rest of the stangers and inhabitants from their
unholy sleep. Sallying forth and proceeding to the
parish church, I was in time to witness the ceremony
of High Mass, which, as the chief introduction of the
day, was attended by a dense crowd of deeply reve-
rential, if not very intelligent-looking, peasantry,
every pew and passage being crammed.
By eight o'clock the large auditorium, estimated to
contain about 5,000 persons, was crammed in every
part, and preciselyat that hour three cannon shots fired
at short intervals roused the mountain echoes and hushed
the vast assemblage, all the country folk reverently tak-
ing off their hats and straining to listen. Presently the
orchestra, numbering about 30
_performers, imper-
ceptibly broke forth into a soft and sweet solemn over-
ture. The morning was genial and mild, and our theatre
was roofed in only by the bright blue sky, flecked with
fleecy cloudlets and perfumed by the healthful odours
that were wafted down from the surrounding moun-
tains. The bells of the browsing cattle might be heard
tinkling in the distance, while the twittering swallows
flitted about overhead and among the wings of the
stage. It was a pleasant thing in itself to sit in siich a
playhouse so classically constructed, yet so thoroughly
ventilated. Very soon the chorus, consisting of 19 mem-
bers—ten maidens and nine men—came on to the pros-
cenium from temple-like retreats on either side
and, forming up in line facing the audience, chanted
an appropriate prologue. It would be impossible
within the limits of a telegram to give you a complete
account of the main and the subsidiary action of the
play and to describe in detail the various tableaux
rivants taken from the Old or the scenes borrowed from
the New Testament, so I shall take for granted the
Biblical erudition of Christian readers and confine my-
self for the present to conveying to you some general
impressions on the wonderful performance.

The Passion Play is divided into two parts or acts,
the first beginning with Christ's triumphal entry into
Jerusalen and ending with his betrayal and imprison-
ment, while the second introduces the Redeemer be-
fore Annas and winds up with the resurrection. Each
scene is preceded by one or two tableaux vivants
arranged from the Old Testament, as symbolizing the
various events in the career oi the descendant of
David. . . .

The sacred dramatist has supplied words where
Scripture does not supply him with them; though
he has not sought, by what some might regard as a
fair poetical licence, to transpose any of the inci-
dents of Christ's earlier life into the period between
his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his death.
No parables are told and no miracles are wrought,
except that of healing the wounded soldier's ear. The
entry into Jerusalem was preceded by two splendid
tableaux of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from
Paradise and the sacrifice of Isaac; and it must be
owned that nothing more perfect of their kind could
well be produced than all the historical groupings
presented—and there were nearly thirty altogether of
them—denoting as they did great training on the
part of the mutes and accuracy in the mise en seene.
Some of them, as for example the selling of Joseph by
his brethren, the Bride's Lament from the Song of
Solomon, the despair of Cain, Moses raising high the
brazen serpent, and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea,
weretraly grand, anddo infinite credit to thair rustic de-
visors. E,:ery man, woman, and child didtheir difficult
duty. There wasnolookingup orasideatthespeetatorsto
note the effect, as is too frequently the case in Paris
and London theatres, but all remained as rigid and
stolid as statues, a task which the well-knit thews and
sinews of these strong and healthy rustics enabled
them to perform perhaps with greater ease; but, in-
deed, it often required the assistance of the glass to
convince one that aseistaxce had not been derived
from the plastic art of Madame Tussaud.
The main dramatic scenes pourtrayed were the
Sanhedrim taking council to circumvent Christ; the
parting in Bethany; the Last Supper, forming an
almost perfect living copy of Leonardo da Vinci's well
known picture; then the appearance of Christ before
His Judges; the bearing of the Cross, after Paolo
Veronese; the descent therefrom, patterned on
Rubens ; and the Entombment, after Raphael.
It is needless to say that the most engrossing scene
was the Crucifixion' which was regarded as the
proper and natural cienoilment of the sublime and
awful tragedy, and it must be confessed that better
histrionic art and technical skill could hardly have
been expected of the most celebrated actors. The
material is such as few could hope to touch without
disfiguring it ; yet these simple villagers, profiting,
perhaps, by the accumulated experience and tradi-
tions of their forefathers, managed to acquit them-
et theix delicate task 14 a WAY WhiCh

deserves the very highest praise. Yet every
scriptural detail was carried out to the letter (the
nailing to the cross, it is true, was done behind the
scenes), and even with the aid of the strongest glass
one could not have positively ventured to assert that
nails had not been driven through hands and feet. A.
distinctly audible expression of almost terrified sur-
prise ran through the vast assemblage, when the
thrust of the centurion's spear produced a crimson
stain over the heart of the crucified one.
Mary Magdalene produced a good effect on
the audience when interfering between the brutal
Roman soldier, who had with a hammer broken
the limbs of the malefactors and the suspected object
of his further inhumanity, she cried out "Spare
him! spare him !" It is a pity, as I overheard a
spectator say, that this scene was not accompanied
and intensified by the peals of natural thunder
which threatened to interrupt the performance
some hours earlier, when Christ was standing for
the first time before Caiaphas. About that point
the sky, changing from its beautiful morning look,
suddenly became overcast, the lightning flashed
once or twice over the heads of the awe-stricken
audience, and the rain came pouring thickly down.
Ultimately the play had to be suspended for about
quarter of an hour or so, but though comparatively
few of the spectators were provided with umbrellas,
they stubbornly stuck to their seats, and underwent a
thorough drenching rather than relinquish the oppor-
tunity of seeing out to the end a performance which
seemed to engross them so very much.
One of the most brilliant, if sad, spectacular scenes
in the whole play was the bearing of the Cross, in
which the Christ admirably performed his part, and in
which the grouping of the Roman soldiers (one of them
mounted and bearing a crimson eagle-topped banner,
inscribed in white with the letters "S. P. Q. R.," and
enbodyipg all the majesty of the Empire), with
the priests and scribes and the mothers and
daughters of Jerusalem made a very fine effect.
Deeply impressive, too, was the scene -where the
populace, headed by the high priests, after having
vainly tried before to procure ratification of the
capital sentence from Pilate and Herod, once
more crowd round the balcony of the Roman
Governor, and clamour for the blood of their victim.
Beyond all praise is the mien of Pilate, whose
character is probably better enacted than that of
any other in the play, partly, to be sure, because
the humble woodcarver (Herr Rendl) who takes the
part is a man of such fine physique and lofty bearing
that he could easily pass for a noble Roman any-
where, without assuming the gorgeous corslet and
glittering diadem of a pro-consul. The sympathy of
the spectators was deeply moved on first discerning
that in the frank and soldierly Pilate the stern and
immovable fairness of the judge predominated
after all over the force of the conqueror. It was a
splendid picture when Christ crowned with thorns and
robed in royal mockery stood confronting the gallant
Roman, for in those two personages the historic eye
could detect the embodiment of the two mightiest
forces which have moulded the modern world. One
could not help being angry with him for finally yield-
ing to the clamours of the populace; but, on the other
hand, one reflected that a Roman conqueror was
generally inclined to be a Constitutional ruler.
Then proceeding to describe the representation of
the part of Judas, the writer says—" The scowls, the
visible avarice, the shoulder jerkings, the stealthiness,
and the suspicious face of this character were truly.
admirable, and his haggling for an increase of the
bribe offered him could scarcely have been better done
even by Shylock." He then proceeds—" Of the other
disciples. Peter was fortunate enough to have his cha-
racter visibly stamped by nature upon his countenance,
though his acting in the denial scene might have been a
little more elaborate. St. John was fairly well pour-
trayed, and for the rest the twelve looked pretty much
as if they had stepped from the fresco of Leonardo da
Vinci, nor could anything have been better than their
faces, grouping, and picturesque attitudes, as they
lay slumbering in a 'rocky part of Mount Olivet,
, while their Master was enduring His bloody agony—
an experience, I may here incidentally remark,
which, by some neat technical device, was visibly pre-
sented to the spectators on the brow of the sublime
sufferer. But, while referring to the disciples asleep
in the garden, it may be well here to observe that as a
rule most of the actors played their parts much better
when requiring repose than motion or the exercise of
the voice. When being scourged or otherwise
passively enduring suffering and insult, Joseph Mair
pourtrayed his sacred original with what must have
seemed to the greater part of the spectators a wonder-
ful degree of verisimilitude, and, indeed, no one could
have seen him hanging on the Cross without being
fairly amazed at the accuracy with which the tradi-
tional likeness in all things had been copied to the
very life." . . .

The writer incidentally remarks that, on the whole,
"the spectators, of whom the greater part may have
consisted of peasantry from the region round about,
behaved themselves during the performance of the
play with the utmost quietness, reverence, and
decorum, nor do I ever remember to have seen so
large a holiday gathering of men and women of the
poorer sort whose manners required to be amended so
very little, either by the censorious form of the parson
or by the coercive baton of the police."