The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

The Passion Plays are back: Oberammergau in a state of emergency - enormous celebrity density

2022-05-14T13:28:06.290Z


The Passion Plays are back: Oberammergau in a state of emergency - enormous celebrity density Created: 05/14/2022, 11:32 am By: Thomas Eldersch The Oberammergau Passion Play is starting again - with a two-year delay. © Angelika Warmuth/dpa The Passion Play in Oberammergau is celebrating its premiere this Saturday. After a two-year delay due to Corona, the centuries-old tradition is now continu


The Passion Plays are back: Oberammergau in a state of emergency - enormous celebrity density

Created: 05/14/2022, 11:32 am

By: Thomas Eldersch

The Oberammergau Passion Play is starting again - with a two-year delay.

© Angelika Warmuth/dpa

The Passion Play in Oberammergau is celebrating its premiere this Saturday.

After a two-year delay due to Corona, the centuries-old tradition is now continuing.

Oberammergau – The German cultural heritage from Bavaria is back after a forced Corona break.

Two years later than planned, the 5,200-strong village of Oberammergau (Garmisch-Partenkirchen district) can continue its almost 400-year tradition.

The Passion Play starts this Saturday.

The guest list includes top-class politicians and numerous prominent faces.

Passion Play in Oberammergau 2022: cultural heritage of superlatives

Every ten years, since a plague vow in 1633, the "play about the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ" has been performed in Oberammergau.

After 2010, it should actually have been that time again in 2020, but Corona threw a spanner in the works for the producers of the play.

Now it finally starts again at 2.30 p.m.

Before that, however, there will be an ecumenical service, which the Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, and the Evangelical Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm will hold together.

At the last Passion Play in 2010, ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel was just one of the many guests of honor.

© Johannes Simon/dpa

In addition to the almost 400-year tradition, the Passion Plays provide other impressive figures.

The text books are available in German, English, Spanish and French.

A third of the viewers have so far come from the USA.

This time the proportion could be a little smaller because of the war in Ukraine and Corona.

Up to 450,000 spectators are expected to attend the performances.

So far 75 percent of the tickets have been sold.

With 4,400 seats, the Passionstheater is the largest open-air stage with a covered auditorium in the world, according to the municipality.

4000 blankets are ready for the premiere.

Especially in the evening it can get very cold.

(Our GAP newsletter keeps you regularly informed about all the important stories from your region. Sign up here.)

v

Passion Play in Oberammergau 2022: Director and actors remain true to the play

The Passion Play, in which around 2,100 residents of the village – around a third of the total population – take part, will again be directed by director Christian Stückl.

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.

Game director Christian Stückl has dusted off the passion a bit.

© Angelika Warmuth/dpa

The line-up hasn't changed much compared to 2010 either.

Frederik Mayet, who is also press spokesman for the Passion Play, will slip back into the role of Jesus Christ.

Maria plays Maria Hecht again.

In addition, there are numerous amateur actors from the area.

Anyone who was born in Oberammergau or has lived there for 20 years can take part.

Stefan Hageneier built the somewhat redesigned stage as a temple complex.

The whole play takes place in this religious and political center of Jerusalem.

The music, conducted by Markus Zwink, has also been revised.

The orchestra and choir – around 120 people in all – should provide a smooth transition between scenes from the life of Jesus and key scenes from the Old Testament.

Stückl also pursues a message in the Passion Play: "We used to tell the story of Jesus' passion.

But the 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.

Passion Play in Oberammergau 2022: Markus Söder is already looking forward to the premiere

At the premiere on Saturday, the celebrity density will be extremely high.

In addition to Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), his counterpart from Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff (CDU), is also expected.

Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göing-Eckardt (Greens) will also be there.

There is also Franz Herzog in Bavaria, the Apostolic Nuncio Nikola Eterovic, the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, and his predecessor in the office, Charlotte Knobloch.

Also on the guest list are the actress Uschi Glas and her colleagues Ben Becker and Dieter Hallervorden as well as moderator Dunja Hayali and ex-soccer goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Söder is already looking forward to the Passion Play, even if there is still work waiting for him beforehand, as you can see in his Instagram story.

"In difficult times, this year's Passion will be particularly impressive.

The Passion Play in Oberammergau is an event of Christian cultural history that is unique in the world,” said the CSU leader in advance.

(phone with dpa)

All news and stories from Bavaria can now also be found on our brand new Facebook page Merkur Bayern.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-05-14

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.