Since 1634, the village of Oberammergau has delivered, every ten years, a unique show in homage to Christ, attracting audiences from all over the world.
Wandering through the alleys of the Bavarian village of Oberammergau, there is a good chance at the moment of coming across “Jesusand his apostles. Of the 5,500 inhabitants of this alpine town, 1,400 of them – babies or octogenarians – take part in a one-of-a-kind show in homage to Christ.
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It all started during the Thirty Years’ War: the locals promised to play the Passion Play, which recounts the last hours of Jesus, to banish the deadly plague. After the first performance in 1634 of the martyrdom, death and resurrection of Christ, the plague disappeared, the story goes. Since then, their descendants have scrupulously renewed this vow, defying the prohibitions of the Age of Enlightenment, wars or epidemics such as the recent Covid pandemic which postponed the show for two years.
Why has the tradition continued over the centuries? “I think we’re a little stubborn“, jokes Frédéric Mayet, 42, who interprets Jesus for the second time. “But above all we identify very stronglyto the Passion Play, adds this man with blue eyes and shoulder-length blond hair. “I remember we talked about it in kindergarten. Without really knowing what it was about, of course I wanted to participate!“, says Cengiz Görür, a young man of Turkish origin of 22 years who embodies Judas.
From 3 months to 85 years old
In Oberammergau, Jesus and his disciples are superstars: they can be seen on the painted facades of old houses, in shops storing carved wooden statues, another tradition of this postcard village. Also in the street, where one currently encounters, among the tourists, a much higher than average number of bearded men with long hair, as well as on the open-air stage of the theatre, where half- May until October 2 the new edition of the Passion Play. The only conditions for participating in the five-hour show in total, as an actor, chorister or behind the scenes: to be born in Oberammergau or to have lived there for at least twenty years. “What has always fascinated me is the quality of the relationships between all the participants, young and old, it’s a beautiful community, a kind of family of Passion”, testifies Walter Lang, a “veteran” of 83 years, regretting that his wife, who died in February, is missing. Generations follow one another, families are created there. “My parents met at a Passion Play, and I also met my future wife there“says Andreas Rödl, mayor of the village and chorister.
“Hidden talent”
Destinies are also at stake here. Like that of Cengiz Görür, spotted in 2016 by director Christian Stückl, director of the popular theater in Munich. “I didn’t really know what to do with my life. I probably would’ve ended up selling cars, the typical storylaughs the young man who is going this fall to begin studies in dramatic arts in Munich. “I discovered my hidden talent“, he rejoices. Christian Stücklalso did a lot for the fame of the show, which he revolutionizedFor forty years, judge Barbara Schuster, 35, human resources manager, and on stage Marie Madeleine. “Before, go to Passion Play, it was like going to mass. Today is a real theatrical spectacle“, she says. Above all, he expurgated in the 1980s of any anti-Semitic connotation the text which accused the Jews of being responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. “Hitler had used the Passion Play for his propaganda“, she recalls.
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The piece speaks to everyone, because it conveys a topical message. Jesus said “fear grips Israel, cries of war fill the land, poverty and disease seize you…“, declaims Frédérik Mayet. “For us, it’s the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and the growing disparities between poor and rich“, he adds. For fear that the war would spread to Europe, operators in the United States, the main market for passion game, canceled some 20,000 reservations shortly after its launch in late February, the mayor said.
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Revenues from the show, which average between 25 and 30 million euros, could suffer. “For me, the strongest moment comes at the end of the last performance in October, when the Hallelujah is sungafter the resurrection of Jesus, confides Walter Lang, who is this year among the poor, among the people. “‘Cause we don’t know if next time we’ll be here againhe said, his eyes filling with tears.