Albuquerque morning journal., 1910-12-07
WHY PASSION PLAY
IS IMPOSSIBLE
Of IMITATION
Actors Live the Parts Says
Father Riley; Not Allowed to
Take Moving Pictures Of
0berammergau Performance,

"Al attempts in this country to inn
litate the Passion Play of Oberam
mergau have failed as elsewhere, "
said Rev. Father Riley yesterday
Father Riley, who viii lecture at the
presentation of the Passion Play pie
Itures at the Islks' theater next sun
| day night has twice visited Oberam-
mergau. and seen the celebrated Pas
sion Play, and knows whereof ne
Iapegks.
"The actors who take part in this
historic spectacle" said he, actually
| live The parts. They are brought up
| TO regard participation in the great
perfu. nance as their great life work.
To take part IN it is the greatest
honor, and 10 be forbidden 20 do 80
ION account Of any misdemeanor is q
disgrace For years and years each
one studies his part, make 1t part
of hin self. Aside from the costumlng
the gctcrs use no makeup and the fit
ness Of each for his impersonatfon is
physical, mental and moral. In the
nature Of things the real Passion Play
and its actors must remain unique and
no successful imitation of II elsewhere
will ever be possible"
Dr. Riley says that no moving pic
lures have ever been taken of the
Oberammergau spectacle because IL
Is strictly prohibited. The pictures to
be seen here are Photographic slides,
hand colored with rare fidelity and as
n result quite expensive, the picture Of
tho Lords supper alone costing $50.
The sale of tickets to the Sunday
performance, TO be accompanied by
fine sacred concert, has been large
and the event which Is for the benefit
OF st. Josephs hospital, Is expected to
be a great success.
The lecture accompanying the pic
tures by Father Riley, would be well
worth hearing aside from the rest of
the program. OF unusual education
and culture with rare powers OF elo-
quence and description, Father Riley
Is speaker of great force and i'm
Tressiveness and magnetism.
Born In Brookline, Mass, near Bos-
ton, Father Riley received his educa-
tion AT the Holy Cross college, at Har-
ward, at Heidelberg, Germany: the
Paris Sorbonne, and In Rome, and has
travelled extensively on the continent
and in the British Isles.
The Obcrammergau Passion Play
product of so many hands-is
nevertheless usually Identified In the
mind of every true Ammergaucr with
three names. There was Father Ott-
mar Weiss (1769-1S43) Of Ettal. who,
when the monastic secularizatlon oc-
CURED, devoted himself to teaching
In Oberau, and then did his work on
the Passion text, there was Rochus
Dcdler G779-fS50), schoolmastor and
composer. in which latter capacity
his tradition dominates Oberammer-
gau today; and finally there was the
beloved Geistllcher Rath Joseph Alols
Daisenberger 1799-1SS3), whose
priestly duties, varied and energetic,
did not prevent him from devoting
much time to literary labors
The preacher, the schoolmaster,
and the woodcarver constitute the
professional figures in Oberammer-
gau, for I'm no essential should the
in the Passion be re-
garded as theatrical devotees, how
ever much the Judas of Gregor
Lechner GSTO) be remembered as |
the height OF dramatic art These |
men who play their parts have a |
large sense of the calling which forms |
30 vital proportion of their life
work, they are always keenly intent |
on improving the community spirit in |
accordance with their tradition rather |
than with the current time. and in |
their conception. they seek true feel |
ing, which "a some respects is above |
the suhtety of conscious art.
Daisenberger's sermons as simple !
as his letters, show no superiority Of I
temper but a ferVour suitable TO the |
before him His appeal |
to his player friends shortly before |
the Passion play was what one might |
expect of u pastor to his flock-the |
same simple purpose and marked /
which prompt the Ammer-
gauers when they hear what roles
have been assigned to them by the
community council.
These appointments are usually
made some time before the actual
period of rehearsal, the elections for
1900 were held in December, 1899,
lne may imagine the Feelings of
Mayr when the mantle of Christus
ell from his shoulders; worse stll
he feeling of Johann Twink. son of
he famous painter, when, after play
ng ST John, he found himself cast
or Judas. 10 would sometimes ap- |,
,ear as though these electors tried
lot only 60 estimate the players
.hility TO act the role. an ability
which a smaller theater develops
Turing intermediate years between
he Passion decades, but likewise that
hey attempted to strengthen individ-
al weakness by spiritual require
nont. The one tremendous failing
4 Josef Mayr was his temper which
Mounted TO heights OF ungovernable |,
age. imagine the psychology which
ntred into his preparation for the ,
art OF christ
Tho chief charm of Oberammorgau +.
its hold upon mcdiaeValism in the
ichest sense Il Is unnecessary to
uestion the literary value of the
lay as genre. since its weight Is, !
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