The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-06-28
THE PASSION PLAY
(By Henry Leo Irwin )

Ear1y in the twenth century, there
 came into existence a form of drama
 called the Miracls Play, which gained
 great popularity throughout England
 France. Germany, and in fact through
 out all of the Christian nations. But
 as time went on, it's popularity gradu-
 ally died away; and by the year 1600
 it had entirely passed out of existence
 except in southern Germany. Here
 in @ littis Bavar1an village, the Mir
 aole Play continues, and has been
 presented every tenth year up to the
 present time. To this village thous-
 ands will flock during the present
 summer, for this is the year in which
 the worlds greatest drama will be
 produced-the Oberammergau Pas
 sion Play.
 Nowadays Oberammsrgau Is sasy of
 access, differing greatly in thfs respeck
 from former years. The visitor can
 now travel all the way from Munich
 to Oberammergau by train, whereas.
 formerly he was obliged to ride most
 of the way in a crude conveyance over
 a rough and dangerous mountain pass.
 The building of the railroad, of course,
 makes 1t possible for much larger
 crowds to attend the Passion Play, ans -as.a .result about four thousand people now witness the play every
 time iof its performance.
 On approaching the village, one is
 struck by the beauty of the scenery.
 On sverY side lie mountains, whose snow-oovsred peaks glisten in the sun;
 while below, acres and acres of yer darsf pasture spread out, dotted here and theAe by matched roofed cot taee and it's surrounding farm. Two thousand feet about the village, the stately summit of Mt. Kofel rises, where the village people have erected c massive cross, which seems to stand Tuald oveR the inhabitants down be- low. Nowsaqd then the ear Is start led hy the s6und of mountain tor rent. which rsashes madly down the xnoun<xin Sda, into the river Ammer. which winds ks course in and out through sthe valley and enriches the land for rxniiSs around. Oberammer- xau itsei. is a quaint little village. The principal street is lined on either side by ayrow ok cottages all immacu- late and shining with their white means uncommon to see the whole front of a house covered with an elaborate .pa1nt1ng, representing some Biblical or religious scene. Such is the village into a11ich a vast cosmo- polftan crowd is ushered, each time the train makes a stop.
 The regular day on which the Pas sion Play is acted, is Sunday. This makes 1t necessary for those who in teuoetHssessthe play to arrive in Ob- erammergau by Saturday. since tickets cannot be procured otherwise than from the landlord, at whose hovse, one has spent the night. The village people, ever ready to furnish entertainment for their guests, do not allow thk-evening to pass without someSexcttement.- About eight o'clock the ear is startled by the sound of music. From the window one sees bandf marching proudly along the street. Close behind comes the will lage fire department, the pride of Ob- erammergau, which Is always much in evidanoe-- on festive occasions. This excitement over& most of the visitors retire for the night, for it is necessary to obtain a good nights sleep, as on thermerrow,- one must rise early and an eight hours perform ance- T
 By six o'clock Sunday morning, rain or shine, the whole town Is astir. Af- ter hearing mass, the players, some four hundred in number, make their ay-to- the theatre, whither they are shortly followed by the great crowd of spectators. The theatre is an interesting specimen of architec- tures The tiers of seats rise up grad
 
 sprea1 out, fan shape, giving an un- obstructed view to each one of the four thousand spectators. Six steel arches support the roof, which covers only the back portion of the audi torium. The forepart of the theatre is open to the sky, and the hills in the distance form a most appropriate for the scenes in the play. There are sixteen entrances, all care rTr 1,0% Sc for the audience to find their proper seats. The cost of building the the atre and properly staging the play is said to be about $125,00O, which amounts to about half the seasons profits.
 At exactly eight o'clock a cannon booms, echoing loudly through the valley. From either side of the stage enters the chorus, composed of thirty four persons of both sexes, who lift their voices in such perfect harmony and move with such stately grace, that one can hardly realize that these people are the simple folks that were seen yesterday busily engaged in their daily occupations While they are singing a prologue. the curtain in the central part of the stage slowly rises and discIoses the first tableau, which the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Paradise. Each one of the seventeen acts is pre- ceded by a tableau which represents a scene from the Old Testament and in a way prepares the audience for the coming act In this case, the expul- sion from the Garden foretells the scene, wherein Christ drives the trad srs from the temple. After the chor- us has left the stage and the curtain has descended on the tableau, a vast crowd of some three hundred people rush forth, crying in joyful acclama- ton. 'Hosanaht Hosanahi" and at ,ame time strewing palm branches up- midst appears the Christ. Many sigh of relief goes forth from the on- lockers, upon finding their conception ,f Christ realized so perfectly in the nan before them
 Now follows the scene in which Christ drives the traders out of the temple, and in His anger overturns he dOve-cotes, at which, the doves set ,ree fly out over the audience to their aon es in the village. Everything is 70 vivid and realistic that the specta- 1 ors are held spel1bound. For four hours the scenes follow one another in ,uick succession, then a period of two hours elapses, in which both audience md actors rest, in preparation for the Itrenuous acting of the afternoon.
 At two o'clock the performance is Now is the time when ev- ,ry players talent is called forth in a special manner The slightest mis- ake in the tone of the voice, in ges- ure even, would ruin all. In .the chamber scene of the last supper when Christ and His twelve apostles Ire seated about the table-the be-