The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-08-21

|
Oberammergau, Bavaria, | had IN
tended to give you few details of
the famous Passion Play, but found
when | had said what | wanted to
about my trip UP to that point, |
had no space nor time left in which
to do even the slightest justice to
| the play. So | will take an hour
from my morning sightseeing here
ia Innspruck and devote it to giving
you two an idea of what this Pas
sion Play is, what sort of theatre it
is played in, how the actors do their
parts, and its general effect-as a
spectacle Of most peculiar nature
upon myself and my feelings.
[ also intend to buy one or two
unmounted photographs, showing
you the stage as set for one of the
chief scenes, together with a picture
Of the Christ, as taken by Joseph
Mayr, peasant wood carver, If
YOU don't find them in the letter, it
will be because l cannot purchase
! LU6IIl IICIC, QillIlOul1ICO.
To begin with, the theatre con-
ssts Of simply an inclosed space, ca
pable Of seating 1900 people. about
IooxI2o feet. The two-thirds OF it
nearest the stage is uncovered, the
back one third has light roof. For
places under cover, from 10 to Sharks
| e. mark, % cents; marks are
counted as equal to a dollar, in ex-
change) are asked: for seats not I'M
der cover, from S to I mark, accord
ing to nearness to the stage and
comfort of seats. The stage itself is
Is feet square, very deep, you see,
and has running along its full length
and some 40 feet back from the
edge of the platform, line of sta
tionary scenery, consisting Of mid
die building. shaped very like a
pointed rooted house with its front
side taken out Adjoining this on
either side, are smaller buildings
shaped like porticoes with ascending
steps, pillars, etc. All these are
fixed and undergo no change. The
tableaux and set scenes are all inside
the middle building. 1t is furnished
like regular theatre stage, with
changeable side scenery, and all the
appurtenanCes Of a first class stage
Movable curtains slide open on each
side Of this center building, accord
ing to the necessities of the play,
while the rest Of the stage, in front
and at the sides, is always exposed
to view and remains unchanged
throughout the entire piece.
The play itself consists of IS
scenes, each preceded by one or two
categorical tabIeaux, typical Of the
scene about to follow. These tab
leaux, where the living figures are
immovable and remain in sight not
over 3 minutes, or less, are all taken
from Old Testament scenes. The IS
scenes, where the actors move, speak
their parts, and the main action of
the Passion, Crucihxion and Resur-
rection of Christus goes on. may be
divided into 3 grand parts. The Ist
begins with His entry into Jerusalem
and goes on till his betrayal with a
kiss by Judas and his seizure by the
Roman soldiers; this lasts from 8 a.
m. till f1:3o a. m. Then comes an
interval of rest. The audience and
actors get their dinners, etc, and the
I'd part begins at p M, and covers
the scene Of Christ's trial, hooking,
scourging, the Via Dolorosa, and
the terribly vivid crucifxion and
descent from the cross and burial;
that brought US to about AGO p m.
The sd part goes on, then, without
any intermission. and covers the Res
direction and Ascension, the play
ending at Sis p. m.
The actors are all peasants of
Oberammergau and the vicinity, in
Guiding the Burgomaster (who acts
the part of Caiaphas), and his two
daughters, one of whom takes the
part of Mary, the Lords mother,
and the other the part Of Martha.
Joseph Mayr acts the part of Christ
US now for the third time, beginning
in 1870, when the play was suddenly
interrupted and ended in Italy by
the declaration of war between Ger
many and France. You can see by
his face,-if | am fortunate enough
to get an unmounted photograph of
him in his character as the Lord
how remarkably he resembles in
many respects the common and re
ceived personal picture Of Christ.
He is tall, graceful and dignified in
bearing, with long curling hair flow
ing down on his neck and full beard
MY cousin. DR.. Dixon, who saw the
play in 1880, says that Mayr did not
look or act the part quite so we'll
this time as last, having grown older,
heavier, little coarser in feature,
and rougher in voice: still, he rep
resented the general educated pub