The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-07-03
CHARACTERS IN THE PASSION PLAY.


900 English people upon the company +
books. is a striking indication of the eX-
traordinary attraction which the great
religious spectacle has upon the Ameri-
can mind and imagination. And it is not
| to be wondered at. After witnessing yes
terday's first performance of the great
Biblical tragedy, one can easily under
stand that audiences for such Il drama
may be drawn from the uttermost ends
of the earth. The religious instinct and
the force of education and tradition are
quite unnecessary to make the event inn
pressive beyond anything anywhere else
| to be seen in mimic portrayal.
There is no need to do more than men
ton the history of this decennial event
which marks the landmarks in the lives
of these simple Bavarian peasants. As far
back as the twelfth century n Passion
play had been performed here, but the
wars of the sixteenth century put an end
to the performances. Following the wars
came great pestilence, village after viii
lage fell prey to its ravages. ODeram-
mergau remained untouched. vigorous
quarantine against the outer world kept
1t safe until one Casper Schuchler, who
had been working in Representation
village nearby, returned TO see his wife
and little ones. In two days he was dead
before month was over eighty-four of
the villagers had persisted. In their de-
vowed that if the plague would cease they
would every ten years perform the Pas
sion Play" From that hour, says the To-
cal historian, the plague was checke-.
In 1870 the war with France interrupted
the performance; forty-five of the villag-
ers went to the front, seven of them
doomed not to return. Joseph Mayer,
who then played Christus for the first
time, started with them, but the King of
Bavaria ordered him to remain In Mum
ch and did not even let him cut his flow
ing locks, The play was repeated in
1871.
The author of the present version was
the parish priest Daisenberger who died
about twenty years ago at the age of SO.
He stripped the play of everything ig-
noble or farcical, cutting out entirely the
part of the Devil. who, up till then, as in
all miracle plays, played the comedy role,
exciting much hilarity as he tore open
the bowels of the suicide Judas and pro-
duued therefrom strings of sausages.
The play contains well worked-out
plot, showing how Christ's entrance into
Jerusalem in triumph offended the priests,
how His cleansing of the temple incensed
the merchants. The priests make use of
the merchants through the chief Dathan,
to destroy Christus. Dathan approaches
Judas and brides him with priests money
to betray where Christus will pass the
night, This leads up TO the arrest, trial
and crucifixion,
Until the last moment 1t seemed that
the first performance In this years Sc
ries would be given amid cold rain and
sleet and most wintry surroundings. Ten
years ago these would have been almost
impossible conditions, for both perform
ers and audience then assembled In a
roofless theater. The new partly covered
theator. built with the proceeds of the
1890 performances. does not look 50 much
like an engine shed as one would suppose
from the photographs, 1t holds nearly
1000 spectators; there are 1858 seats at
81, 60; 1876 at ST. 5ii at $l5O. Cos at 81 and
Cos at so cents. This gives total of
SITS, 900 for the twenty-seyen regular per-
formances, while extra ones are to be
given when too many visitors reach the
village for the theater to hold In one day.
In 1880 the 200 performers received $4,000;
Mayer, the Christus, received $500; the
conductor of the orchestra $3.50 Every
thing else was spent on the theater ana
the village. Drains were built. a new
hospital founded drawing and carving
schools established, waterworks built and
the poor provided for. The stage is 1870
feet broad and se feet deep. In the CEN
ter. twenty feet from the front, Is a
wide-curtained proscenlum, on each side