New-York tribune., 1890-08-06
AT THE PASSION PLAY.
SOME IMPRESSIONS OF THE SCENES.
THE ACTORS OF oBERAMMERGAU AND How

trpoy Az c.s1oSAI CORRESPONDENT OF TRrBUNE.j
Oberammcrgau. July 2l-IAe faS'oA ray has Io-'
nothing OF its nteres. ana power 70 aIHac'' Inc
hinge ont door theatre scarcely holds the people WHO
are anxious to see the regular performances on sun
DAYS and WEDNESDAYS. ard it is found cXpcdicnt to
, u.r. o,es on other DAYS. One Of these took
Mace TODAY and thrcc-Quarters OF the seats were
occuncd Notwithstanding that all OF tAcm were full
Yesterday These extra performances are not alone
for those who unable to see 'he regular Ones put
also for the many who want TO see the pay second
time without spending four days III 'Ae village Inc
rain fell nearly all day yesterday Out that great
audience two thirds Of which had no cover put t!h
Io,ds for umbrellas are not allowed, OF course. sat
there without a murmur for eight hours ana dld not
80 much as lose its interest in the action on the stage.
Even in the afternoon. after long morning dehch-
ing. there were hardly hundred empty seats.
To one who sees the Passion Play ior the first time
the skill with which it is given and the vvidness Of
ro gsc,s rrodpced are a genuine surprise. In open
d.,,iobt evouistely arranged tablcauS are seen TO
sucb advantage as i, generally thought impossible
except with elaboratey arranged ar'lcal heh''' the
same nav lie said of the scenery WHICH must Uc
nainfcd with unusual care 10 gam this result ana
the trodesmen and peasants Of this high and rough
mountain region play their parts with an unasSulmnS
s worthy q. professional actors of long experience
and with genuineness of feeling and an arllessneNs
of truth in expression that nnetyninc professional
actors in a hundred might envy but could never attain
Karl Lauenschlaegcr the head machnst OF the Royal
Tq,c,1re in Munich has directed the setting Of the
Passion PLAY on the stage. The canvas and the paint
and he stage machinery that he has introduced have
robbed the play no doubt. Of much that would CON
meet IL with the miracle plays OF the MAde Ages, ana
much therefore. that the student of dramatic history
must be sorry TO lose yet when one sees how success
f,l the stage manager has been in all that he has
tried TO do and how nearly perfect are the pictures
and illusions that he has produced, there is little dis
postion TO wish that anything might be done differently
or even that the villagers might be left TO accomplish
their results by their own c,uder methods.
But the setting of the play, whether at It's best
or at its worst, is only secondary to the acton
and it is this that calls for the chief comment ana
the chief admiration. The play IS acted by villagers
and peasants men and women who work hard at
trades or In the fields for the means of Lie, ana
whose opportunities for culture are narrowly hmted'
vet If any one comes here expecting to nervous
bearing and the mechanical speech and movements
of amateurs he will be much disappointed Tho
actors are of all ages; there men old that IL
seems bv no means likely that they will sec ths
Passion Play" after this year, and there children
so young that they only carried IN the AIMS
or cling 10 the skirts OF the older
people they are of all conditions from tho
boroug ghmaser and the prosperous merchants OF the
village 10 the farm hands and road laboIcTs
yet not one of them shows any sign Of dAGcaCe. or
on the other hand, any sign Of ancctauon Yet they
are not quite common villagers, that must be rs-
mcmbered. Many OF them are wood carverS. and
atsts that. III modest way, ard an ar,tc feeling
perhaps they themselve, would not understand j,
natural 10 them Then, too. they regard tls play "a
the most important incident of Their lives, ana the
prepare themselves for II carefully and reverentiy
Again. the most OF them have 10 study aad lean
only part each, or perhaps a sccoad when th"}
are TOO old for the FIST. There arc mcd
now playing the same parts for the fourth
time, and that means that they hr''
played them thirty years ago. Others have TIE san"
parts for the third time. Joseph Maer who plays thr
Christ teing Of t,.,m some paris, o. are KIP,
in families. the playing tem after the father,
have laid them aside. IN this way each feels that
the part he acts belongs 10 him. lie learns from
his father his friend he trains himself for 1t for
years and he plays it at last with conid nee uis;
is as unassnming as il - complete
A happy feature Of tie play is crowd OF people
who in an ordinary drama would be counted as super
nuncraries. There are hundreds Of item, and they
move about the stage in great masses, OF which Tie
very advance and re reat impressive They are
pctuTesquey dressed, but tie Col0rS, though they arc
many are subducd in tone and harmonious. Nearly
every face If IT Is looked az carefully, Is the face OF
a mechanic or a peasant but every one IS Just the
| face for the Hebrew or the Roman that it, Owner
| represents. Down the two Jerusalem etrcc> at nc
sides of the STAGE streams II thcse rco j., "h1
down the third space in The middle whore tie m"-i
important scenes are given. cone, another multitude
!
anrry. and they move slow!y-for everything IN t."
play is done s.Owly-toward tho front and unite in
huge crowd with excited faces. GiSordercd hair, cFie
looks and sulcn murUur,, TIE very picture OF iefc'
determined, irresistible mo-. They second the lead
| ing actors most wGrtlily, and il s. by watching i't
faithful pictures and listening 10 the eaiIc,t words
4 both through the whole dag that the mind i- pr
pared for the foariully real scene Of the cuchNi'n
There have been striking and pathetic scen's I'll day
| but now netting is omitted that con make th" I'm
prcsscn terrible arL lletug. Even dcscnp
ton Of it would seem crccl, u wore
"A true one. 1t il BE enough 70 say that ai Bat ID"
actual driving Of the nail, is aad even hat i-
heard and t,at when It is over h" lockers AID listener
hcavc a general SIGH that has loar been kept nch'
- II awakening f)n q dreadful dream, ONLY ln9 been
! more vivid and distinct than any dream.
4 few words may be written Of some q the h
dlvidusl actors Much Las been sod Of Joseph
Nalcrs Christ, bat it is hardly po ,i5i' 10 -IN too
much The humble, yet digifci bcarln-. the patience
foned with the consciousness Of wrong and Tire oal-
ues, Of suffering arc lessons IN thcmselves, while the
very tones Of ne voice That .pesks such simple wo
e.. NV dear Children aId Father. forgive then.
for they know not what they do have swcctncs,
and tenderness that must long be pleasant mcmoa"-
/ Next 10 Mater stands Rosa Lang. who represents
MARY the mother Of jesus She IS the daughter Of ti'
loiouehuaeler Her parting with her son rs Lt
GOES 10 Jerusalem, and her watching at the foot %
the cross. are among the finest and most touc.itr
Incidents OF the play, and a@e well nigh the most ru
dramatic though IL must ie admitted that tLc mos.
Of the play j. not really dramar ~ all GA Joc lllj
playing the part Of Peter for the fourth time. lie i
earnest and genuine awaYe end once he j. even better
This Is when he stands outside the house o; Cddphas
where the soldiers gathered about the Are, a"h
d,,cs not 20 in 10 warm himself II Is a simple b4i
Of act on: he only stands outside the door, rhiy u
slrluk back ont Of sight While John ASK, II tpti may
come in but fhc fear that is not born ~ cGWar1cc
! but Of anx.ciy and Ovcrw helmng trouble Is iH>y
| represented. .
o Juda, as played by John Twink, ara 10 show that
he doe, not OVect it, as he has been accused of dong
lu1 thcre j, one young man IN the play, Peter Rcnd'
| Ly name Of whom word must Dc sad ne appear
| ~ IL. lnl-o Nm.