In the Upper Bavarian village of Oberammergau with a population of 5,200, a spectacle that is unique in this form starts on Saturday (2:30 p.m.): the Passion Play begins with a two-year delay due to corona. Normally every ten years, following a plague vow from 1633, the place shows “the play of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ”. This time the waiting period lasted twelve years because of the pandemic.
Prominent guests from politics, culture and society are expected at the premiere. Among them are Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU), the Apostolic Nuncio Nikola Eterovic, the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, and his predecessor in office, Charlotte Knobloch. The guest list also includes actress Uschi Glas and her colleagues Ben Becker and Dieter Hallervorden, as well as ex-soccer goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
It will premiere with a proven cast: Jesus and Mary, Mary Magdalene, the high priest Annas and Jesus’ follower Joseph of Arimathea – all played by actors who already held these roles in 2010. The lot decided on the cast of the premiere. Because all 20 main roles are cast twice. The more than 100 performances until October 2nd will be rotated.
As in 2010, Jesus is given by Frederik Mayet, who is also press spokesman for the Passion Play. Maria Hecht is Maria Hecht on stage again. A total of around 2100 local people are involved, more than a third of the 5200 inhabitants of the village. Anyone who was born locally or has lived there for 20 years can play.
Because of the pandemic, director Christian Stückl had postponed the passion for two years. The 60-year-old, who is directing the play for the fourth time, has modernized it and freed it from anti-Semitic tendencies. He lets Jesus speak Hebrew – and makes it clear: Christ was a believing Jew, the conflict about him was an inner-Jewish one. This time, too, Stückl changed the lyrics, although not as much as in 2010.
The director is interested in a message: “We used to tell the story of Jesus’ passion. But the life story is very important. What did he want in his life – and for what was he crucified?” The gap between rich and poor, flight, expulsion and war are central themes for him.
Further information: www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de