The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-10-05
THE PASSION PLAY
Father Cleary Graphically Describes It
in His Lecture.

4; . IA /, 4 X.
Father Cleary Graphically Describes It
in His Lecture.
Rev. J.. NJ. Cleary's lecture on the.
Passion Play at Oberammergau, given
last Sunday night ait the Church Of
NOtre Dame de Lourdes, was attended
by very large and greatly Interested
audience. The lecture, for one who has
never seen the play is we'll worth hear
ing, and when delivered in Father
Cleary's clear, resonant voice, gives a
very lucid idea of the great drama.
In 1883 the traditions OF the village
say, "a pestilence visited the country,
and in order to appease the wrath Of the
Lord and obtain freedom for the village
from the plague, the villagers made a
vow to perform the Passion Play every
ten years. This vow has been faith
fully carried out ever since, with the ex-
ception. Of the year 1870, when the
Franco-Prussian war made it impossible
to play, as most of the male inhabitants
were drafted into the army -
The village only mum bers about 1000
inhabitants, and the ambition Of every
one of them is to take part in the Pas
sion Play. From their childhood up,
they are instructed to this end. They
allow their hair and boards to grow long
as was the custom in Judea. in, the time
of the Savior. ..
The year before the play is to be pro-
duced the villagers elect committee
which takes entire charge Of the ar
engagements; they cast for the various
parts, hire the directors, take charge
Of the theater, and even fix the charges
that are paid for board and lodgings for
the strangers who visit the place. TO
the villagers the play is a great act OF
religious devotion; there is no sugges-
ton of levity or anything to lead one to
believe that it is a holiday affair in their
acting. The result to the beholder is
as If the curtain Of ages had been rolled
back and the various scenes in the life
of the Redeenler were actually taking
place on the stage. There are $50
people who are cast in the play, and all
of them are paid. The funds received
from the production are divided into
three parts, the theater fund, the actors
fund and the village fund. The: first
is used to keep the large theater in re-
necessary, the second is for paying the
actors and defraying the cost of the
production, and the village fund is used
to take care Of the poor, improve the
streets, keep UP the hospital and the
school of design. The natives are ar
tistic in their tendencies, and the latter
institution is a. very fine one and we'll
patronized. The play begins on Pente-
cost Sunday, and is produced every Sun
day and holy day from that time until
the last of September. The theater cons
tains 1000 seats, twothirds of which
are in the open air. After the seats are
all taken the doors are closed and none
are allowed in unless they have seats.
On occasions when there are very many
unable to get seats, the play is again
put on Monday for the benefit of the
disappointed ones.
At 4 o'clock Sunday morning the
people are awakened by cannon fired on
the hilltops. This announ ces that the
church is open, and masses are said
from that time until O'clock. At 1880
the doors Of the theater are opened, and
promptly at the curtain rises, The
scene represents Palm Sunday. Shouts
of "Hosanna to the son Of David" are
heard in the distance, and procession
of 600 people enters, strewing. the way
with flowers and palm branches. In
the rear of the procession comes Christ,
seated on an ass. The part is played by
Joseph Mayer. He is tall, and has long
curly hair parted in the middle. and a
forked beard, such as is generally seen
in paintings Of Christ. AS he dismounts
his dignity, august bearing and majestic
demeanor at once catches the audience.
Then follow in succession scenes repre-
senting Christ driving the merchants
from the temple, the council Of high
priests, the parting scene between
Christ and his mother before his jour
ney to Jerusalem, the supper at the
house of Simon, the last supper and the
garden in which Christ is betrayed by
Judas. These scenes occupy four hours
AT IL o'clock an hour is taken for the
midday luncheon. At / the curtain
again goes up. and the rest Of the play
is given up to the time of the cruciixion.
The play closes with two stabieaux rep
resenting the resurrection and the as
cension. All who see the play are i'm
pressed by the natura1ness of the actors,
and the most noted histrionic artists
have pronounced it the most wonderful
production in that respect to be seen
anywhere t" tts ~ H- t45