The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-07-20
THE DRAMA OF A LIFE.
The Tyrol Peasants Interpretation
of the Passion Play.


than that, it was the worlds Christ
surrounded by those who loved him.
In this tiny Bavarian village among
the snow-topped Alps, with nothing
but the great story itself to inspire
them, these peasants of the Tyrol
have so wonderfully interpreted the
passion of Christ that the railroads
are taxed and the hospitality of the
village is strained to the utmost to
provide the simplest accommodations
for the crowds who come to look
and wonder. In the audience today
was the King of Sweden and a great
dignitary of Rome. Jeweled dowa-
gers gazed through gold-bowed lorg-
nettes at them-but not till after the
performance. Millionaires rented
tiny rooms that they would not think
of using at the village hotel in or
der to obtain tickets and then hast
ened away in their motor cars after
the play. All these came to see the
peasants Christ 1t was only the
third performance, yet they were
forced to repeat it in the rain the
next day because so many more came
than could be admitted to the thea
ter.
To call it wonderful is to use a
stale adjective. Your wondering
question at first is this: why have
they learned such art?" For the
presentation is letter perfect; artis-
tic music, elocution, setting, color,
balance. Nothing overdrawn, moth
ing strained, nothing incongruous,
dramatically perfect And you ask
again, Where did they learn this?"
But soon you surrender to the spell
and let them play upon your feel
ings as they will, forgetting to ask
about their art, while they interpret
life to you-yes, The Life.
For that is what they do. 1t is
useless to ask the secret of their
art; there is no secret. Their art
is their life. For months after the
cast has been chosen by the vote
of the villagers, the character lives
in the part to which he has been
assigned. And for years before they
have been chosen, the principal
characters have been hoping and as
piring to parts most noble. There
is only one real actor in the whole
cast, and that is Judas. He plays
his part-the rest live theirs.
Judas plays so we'll that you are
left with no feeling of bitterness to-
ward the traitor. Nothing but pity
Perhaps this is we'll. If it could be
said that Milton made Satan so at
tractive that he became the hero of
Paradise Lost, then truly Johann
Twink makes Judas too fascinating.
The play is the work of a genius
and it is interpreted by commun-
ity of geniuses, musical, dramatic,
religious. We speak of the people
of the community producing the
play-it would be nearer the truth
to say that the play has produced the
community. 1t has bound together
through centuries a group of peo-
pie and made them artists-bound
them by the strongest of all ties,
that of religion.
Ober Ammergau is only little
village of some 500 people; it's pres
ent theatre, built for the last per-
formance, seats but 4,200 people;
it's stage proper, back of the plat
form which is open to the sky, is
but 25 by so feet, and yet the whole
civilized world will pour continual
crowds to this remote mountain Will
age as long as the Alpine summer
allows the play to be presented out
of doors.
The village itself is worth study.
ing as an example of Christian So
cialism without the name. The peo-
pie live for each other, the profit
of one is for the good of all. Peo-
pie, houses and streets are all
scrupulously clean. There is no
grandeur. The homes are very sim
pie. There is no graft. While fair
prices are charged, there is no ex-
tortiOn The players do not receive
large sums for their acting. The
highest price paid for one whole
years performances to those in the
first class, which includes Anton
Lang, who takes the part OF Christus,
is $3.50, less than some vaudeville
stars receive for one night. The
town receives one-third of the profits
of the play and expends it for the
public good. They have excellent
schools, where music and art are
thoroughly taught. There are some
wonderful voices in the community,
such as would command attention
on the opera stage, but they do not
leave the town to become singers or
artists. Theirs is holy calling and
they have held to 1t with wonderful
fidelity. Nearly all the villagers
have some part in the play. The ar
tist who paints the scenery is en-
ployed a whole year at the task.
Some 700 people appear on the stage
at each presentation as players or
figures in the tableauX. Every fam
lily must help to take care of the
strangers who flock into the little
town to witness the play.
OF the play itself it is difficult to
speak. 1t disarms all criticism.
Good Father Daisenberger, who took
the crude play of the middle ages,
had the genius to turn II into a