The San Francisco call., 1909-08-22
CHRIST'S LIFE AND
SUFFERINCS SHOWN
Passion Play Written by Fran
cisCan Friar to Be Presented
With Great SpIendOr

San Francisco's great passion play.
/ that wonderful religious spectacle,
surprising the world famous produc
tions at Oberammergau. to be given
here in October by the Franciscan
fathers, has outgrown the auditorium
of st. Boniface's church, where ii was
at first purposed to stage the play,
and it viii be presented a the Coliseum
on triple stages PA feet in width. The
greater production. as now in re-
hearsal, viii cost $4,000 for the mere
merchanical arrangements, and, with
d grand trained chorus of 100 voices,
nearly 400 in the acting cast and won
derful stage settings and costuming.
the first passion play on the order of
the Oberammergau performances 70 be
given IN America, as a solemn re-
ligious service, will be by far the
greatest presentation, merely as a
spectacle, that this coast has seen.
CONTRAST OF TWO SPECTACLES
The passions at Oberammergau,
given in the open air by the simple
peasants, made their strongest appeal
through their simplicity, which has
sent their fame around the world, and
called the curious and devout alike
across oceans to witness the repre-
sentation of Christs life. But the
great passion play here, written by
Father JOsephat Kraus, O. +. NJ, some
what along the lines of the European
production, but, of course, in English,
and in varying wording, viii not suffer
in grandeur by the fact that it is pre-
sented in a hall, and with the aid of
the latest and most wonderful effects
OF modern stagecraft. Rather. the
production will gain in power, for the
simple theme of the passion, and the
explanatory and illustratory tableauX
accompanying the main action, viii be
thrown into greater relief by the
background of scenic splendor, illumi
never been equaled anywhere
Father Josephat, the simple, kindly
friar who conceived the production,
and is making it a reality, has i'm
pressed upon stage managers from
Washington, d. c., New York, and a
dozen other cities that he will not
allow the play to be given by them. 1t
viii be a religious service of the great
est solemnity, as sacred as a prayer.
Money for the presentation of the
spectacle has been advanced in plenty.
or the group that began work upon
the idea never could have carried 1t to
completion. The Franciscan order.
associated with some Of the best
phases of California's history the
founder of her missions. and leaders
among the Spanish and Indians before
the coming of the American miners, is
poor and the VOW of poverty every
member has taken precludes the possi-
bility of the order financing any such
production But money has been
pledged, and the performance originally
Intended for the auditorium of St.
Bonifaces church. with it's seating
capacity of 500, will be given in the
Coliseum. October 11-26, to some 900
people each evening.
FOUR PRESENTATIONS
The 16 evenings viii allow but four
complete presentations, for the play is
u hours in length. Four evenings, of
three hours each will be required for
one performance. Only tickets for
complete performance viii be sold, and
the lowest price will be 81 for the four
nights. The reserved seats will bring
s6 to $40 each, and there will be few
box seats for sale at S. a night. The
seating capacity will be blocked out
and tickets prepared and sold within
a week.
The decision to present the play in
the Coliseum has meant that entirely
new scenery and properties must be
produced, and the work OF providing
the new accessories is well under way.
Dress rehearsals are being held regu-
larly and The Call is able 10 present
the first pictures taken of Miss Mary
Wondra, who is to represent the Virgin
Mary, and Joseph NJ. Hans, who viii
portray Christ
INCREASE IN CHORUS
The growth of the production means
that more than 300 will be present in
some of the mob scenes and has meant,
also. an increase in the chorus, so that
the choral odes and sacred music to
be rendered by the trained singers will
swell in volume and fill the pavilion.
Rev Peter Huesges, who had IA years
musical training in Germany, will di-
rect the music, and some of his own
compositions will be given. Father
Huesges is now stationed at Gridley
in the Sacramento diocese.
The stages upon which the perform
ance will be given will be raised some
feet above the floor and sloped back
ward so that all may see. The center
stage will be far larger than that of
the largest theater in San Francisco,
snd the fianking stages will be fully
as large as any in local playhouses
Originally it was decided to end the
play with the resurrection OF Christ,