The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-21

louuu Deautllul iilun1nateu Ve1lum copy of The Mystery of the Passion of Jesus Christ" It contains a note which sets forth that the story was elaborately pre- scented in dramatic form on the 3rd of July. 14s7, in the park of veximel, before many distinguished lords and ladies whose names are given.
 "To represent Christ" says the com mentor, ''was the curate of St. Victor of Metz; he was nigh dead upon the cross if he had not been assisted; but on the fol- lowing day he counterfeited the resurrec- tion, and performed his part very well. And another priest, who was chaplain of Metrange, played Judas and was nearly dead while hanging, for his heart failed him, wherefore he was quickly unhung and carried off. Also the mouth of hell was very well done; for 1t opened and shut where the devils required to enter and come out, and had two large eyes of steel"
 This is one of the oldest criticisms of scenic effect extant and refers to performance that undoubtedly influenced dramatic authors who have in the past five hundred years chosen the Son of God as the central figure of their plays
 During the season of 1895, Edmund Ros- tand's La samarataine." with Sarah Bernhardt as the Samaritan woma-, was produced at the Renaissance theal.e In the production Christ appeared in the play, and the name Jesus" appeared on the programme. Two years later La Martyr was produced at the Comedie Francaise, with Mounet Sully made up to represent Christ, but appearing under the name of Johannes.
 The play was similar to the Sign of the Cross," well known in America, but the story was reversed-the woman was saved, not the man. The story of the play told of a vender of freaks and monstrosities. who sold two Christians to the Princess Flamesla (played by Mime. Barber). In the last act of the risv Johannes was crucifed in the ar V wearing only loin cloth, and with ,s4e blood streaming from his hands and feet. He spoke his last line from the cross just before he died
 These three performances are signi- 1cant They show that from the ear Hest days of the modern drama down to the present generation France has led the world in the introduction of daring realism into stage stories of the life and death of Christ. Yet Bavaria and Switzerland have become more thorough iy identified with plays based on the re- 1 demption of mankind than any other | countries of the world. The, famous ] Passion play at Oberammergau and at Selzbach has lasted without break, ac- | cording to tradition, since 163S, and is now being prepared for presentation in 1910.
 England and the United States have l been strongly averse to stage repre- sentations of Christ during recent years. | ''The Servant in the House. is the only | play suggesting anything of the kind ac | cepted in this country. This may be 1 because Manson is not put forward as l the actual Christ and the exceedingly | reverent way in which the character is treated has had much to do with it. James ONeil was arrested in California | a few years ago for presenting an Amer | ieanization of the Passion play and the
 English play censor has consistently l vetoed all plays in which Christ appears.
 Yet the oldest English drama now ex
 tant is "Christ's Descent to Hades, or
 the Borrowing of Hell"
 Christ as a character in drama figures
 in the miracle plays of the early period
 The same idea was adopted by the Fan
 toccini Italian producers of pantomme
 in which marionettes were the actors. l The earliest productions of plays based
 on the life and death of Christ and in
 which he appeared as one of the char
 aeters were given by the monks of the first few centuries of the Christian era.
 And one of the first of these-which Is
 fact noted by few historians-was the
 first Punch and Judy show. In its orig
 Judae"-"Pontius Pilate and the Jew"
 This name, by corruption, became | Punch and Judy" Christ, of course | was the Jew. As the story became
 changed the characters were confused
 The Jew, with his large acquiline nose.
 became Punch and the second charae-
 ter. Punch's wife. was called Judy.
 During the fourth century play acting
 was in dlsrepute. Actors and mounte-
 banks were denied the benefit of clergy and people who attended the theatres on | Sunday and holidays were excommuni-
 cated. The very existence of the drama
 was threatened. It was kept alive by a
 comparativly few compositions that | served to span the gap between ancient and modern dramatic literature. One | of the writings was the Passion of
 Christ" commonly attributed to Grego Nasiansen, and following the form of | Euripides, Menander or Terence. This
 was the probable origin of the Oberam- mergau Passion play as now presented
 This was planned as perpetually re- curing performance by the peasants of the little Bavarian village. so tradition
 says, in fulflllment of solemn VOW made by the villagers in 163S that if God
 would stay the pestilence then raging
 among them, they would perform the
 passion tragedy in token. of thanksgiv- | ing every tenth year. Father Daise-
 berger. for thirty years the parish priest,
 re-wrots the play and planned more
 realistic performance. Shortly before
 his death in 1880, he said that he under
 took the labor with the best will for
 love of his Divine Redeemer." and with
 only one object in view. namely, the ed-
 ification of the Christian world. From
 his peasant flock he selected his actors
 and trained them for the interpretation.
 As this is the most famous of all plays
 in which Christ has been represented
 on the stage, 1t may be well to briefly
 describe the ceremony.
 '.The performances,~ says Alfred Bates,
 "extend through several months, usually
 beginning at WhitsunEide and lasting
 till the close of September the Sabbath
 is the appointed day, for this drama is
 regarded not as q pastime but as a
 religious exercise. The play begins at
 eight in the morning. and lasts with a
 noon-tide intermission, until late in the
 afternoon. There are eighteen acts, with . prologue and epflogue spoken by the chorus who supply all the fifty hymns to the accompaniment of Bavarian music taken chiefly from psalms and masses Including the conductor and the chor- agues or chorus leader, there are seven teen principal performers on the stage selected from the most cultured and in- telligent of the wood carvers-for artis- tio carving in wood. chiefly for cruel hxes is almost the sole occupation of the people In all there are between 800 and 700 persons on the stage. mostly of the peasant class, and, including workmen