Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-25
THE PASSION PLAY.
A SERIES OF WONDERFUL, BUT REvER-
ENT LIVING PICTURES.

lHE TAoolUN FLAf.
A SERIES OF WONDERFUL, BUT REvER.
ENT LIVING PICTURES.
Remarkable Scenic Effects and Beautiful
Costumes-An Audlence Held spell.
Bound for Nine Honrs-A Spirit of Piety
PeryadIus the Entire Performance.
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPAroH.i ao.
TWO parsons, in peasants house among the
Dackwoods Of Bavaria, walked up one Sun
day morning in July to the sound of the pat
tering of rain. The sound was not an un-
familiar one. The TWO parsons had heard it
pretty steadily for several weeks past. 1t had
followed them from Chester to London. 1t had
pursued them across the North Sea to Antwerp.
1t had kept up the unpleasant chase across
Belgium and Germany. Rain, rain, rain, day
after days; mackintoshes, umbrellas and over
shoes; mist on the mountains, mud along the
roads; drizzle. drizzle. keeping time to the tune
which the cars siEg-the two parsons were used
to rain. The patter on the roof was not
strange sound in their ears. But on that July
Sunday 1t was particularly unwelcome sound.
For that was the day, long anticipated, when
they were to see the Passion Play. And they
reflected with some CONSERVATION, that they
were assigned to seats without the protection
of roof.
1t was o'clock in the early dawn when we
walked at Oberammergau to the discordant
music Of the drippingrsin. Presently the cows
went by to pasture, each with the CHEEKY jingle
of a little bell. At we breakfasted. At we
had tramped over the wet road from Unreram-
mergau, and were waiting for the doors Of the
Passion Theater to open.
Interior of the Passion Thenter.
THE theater at Oberammergau is long
structure capable of holding more than
1000 people. 1t is built of wood with seats in
rising tiers and is divided into three parts; the
covered auditorium, the uncovered auditorium
and the stage. The covered seats are in
great shed-like building at the end Of the
theater, farthest from the stage. The end OF
this shed which fronts toward the stage is of
course open and between it and the platform
are the seats which have no roof over them. On
each side is high wooden barrier, through
whose doors people get entrance, and over
which you see the great mountains, green with
trees, and touched at the top with snow.
The seats farthest from the stage. under
cover, cost marks, then 8, then 10, according
to position. A mark is equal to an English
shilling, that is about Is cents of our money.
Then come the 5-mark seats; and then. nearest
the stage. the 8 and the 1-mark seats, really the
best OF all, if the weather is good. Under the
roof are the foreign visitors. Under the sky
are such of the foreigners as have not been
fortunate enough to get better seats, and the
peasants.
The stage is unroofed, except a space in the
center toward the back. This rooted space has
q curtain hung in front On either side of ir
are alleys running back, representing streets Of
Jerusalem, lined with stage houses. The stage
I,oo f, oitt aid
porticos with steps leading up to them; that on
the left as you LOOK toward the stage being the
house of PLATE that on the right the house Of
Annas Other flights of steps leading of the
stage mp into galleries nearer to the front
than the houses of the High Priest and the
Governor are for the entrances and exits of the
chorus.
A Cosmopolitan Audience.
TIE doors open about 7:so. At 8 every seat
is filed. Two thousand people are out
side wishing they could get in. Not place re-
MAINS We look about us over the wide ex-
panse of uplifted umbrellas. Somebody is here
from everywhere. The conversations are like
the speech of the builders of the Tower Of
Babel The garments are as varied as the
people Behind us are tourists with guide
books and notebooks and opera glasses and
mackintoshes. All about us are peasants.
Some are in garb of the country, the men with
abundant decoration of green embroidery; the
women with black head-dresses and scarlet
petticoats. Some are in vestments which would
look remarkable in any country. They are pre-
pared for rainy day. They have brought all
the family blankets with them, apd the blankets
are of every color and every pattern. The man
who sits next to US is wrapped up from top to
toe in blanket striped with red and yellow,
and looks like zebra. The woman who sits in
front of US has shielded herself against
the weather with bountiful supply of coarse
sacking, meal bags sewn together, with the
miller's name inscribed thereon. There is SO
much of it, and it protrudes SO amply from be-
meath the seatback that we can pull part Of it
over our knees. As for ourselves. we have bor-
rowed from our hostess a great gray shawl,
which we have put about our shoulders and
made to cover both our heads.
Ats o'clock cannon sounds Down 60 all
the umbrellas. The Passion Play begins.
The Passion Play is divided into II represen-
| tations and each representation is in three
parts, a prologue, tableau. and an act. The
act is one of the events in the Way Of the Cross.
The tableau is a scene from the Old Testament,
which has some symbolical reference to the act
which is to follow. The prologue is sort of
musical sermon. 1t is sung by the chorus. in
7 rec1titive in solo, and in harmony Of united
voices and Is an explanation of the tableau
| and of the act, and an application Of the mean
ing of it all to the consciences of the hearers.
Programme of the Play.
| THE following is the programme of the Pas
sion Play, giving the subjects of the tab
| leaux and the acts and showing the order and
| arrangement of the whole:
First Tableau-The expulsion from Paradise.
second Tableau-The cross adored by angels
Act: Christ's entry into Jerusalem.
2-TabIeau-Joseph cast into the pit by his breth-
~ rem.
Act: The council of the High Priests.
3-First Tableau-Departure Of Tobias from his
l. home.
II second Tableau-The lamenting bride Of the
| Canticles
Act: The parting at Bethany.
4-Tableau-vashti rejected and Esther chosen.
Act: The way to Jerusalem.
5-First Tableau-The mama.
second Tabeau-The grapes from Canaan.
Act: The Last Supper.
8-Tableau-Joseph sold by his brethren.
Act: The Betrayal.
First Tableau-Adam and Eve laboring.
second Tab1eau-Murder fJoab by Amasa.
Act: In the Garden of Gethsemane.
s-Tableau -Micaiah SIN itten before Ahale.
Act: Jesus before Annas.
9-First Tabeau-Death of Naboth.
Second TabIeau-The affction of Job.
Act: Jesus before Caiaphas.
10-Iableau-Death of Abel.
Act: Despair Of Judas.
11-Tableau-Daniei accused before Darius.
Act: Jesus before Plate.
I2-Tableau-samson making sport for the Phil
istines.