Passion Play 2022: What happens if both Jesus actors fail?

Created: 06/17/2022, 11:00 am

By: Andreas Mayr

Jesus in a double pack: Rochus Rückel (right) visits Frederik Mayet in the changing room on the day of the premiere – with a sore throat but with a negative corona test.

© ANDREAS MAYR

The question pops up again and again: What happens when both main actors are missing from a Passion performance?

For example both Jesus roles.

There is no contingency plan for this.

Oberammergau – The craziest things have happened at the Passion Play in Oberammergau.

Once on the way out of the temple, a set of teeth tumbled down the steps, Christian Stückl said at the youth days.

There has actually never been a case that is speculated about from time to time: that a performance had to be canceled because both Jesus actors were missing.

But this year this virus, which has not existed before, is chattering along.

The organizers annoy the inquiries.

They already emphasized that before the vow game at the press conference.

Game director Stückl more or less ruled out such a case there.

Walter Rutz, plant manager of the in-house culture business and managing director of Passions-Vertriebs-GmbH, makes it clear once again: “You shouldn’t overdo the subject.

That's why we have two actors for each role."

We assume that one can always play.

Walter Rutz

After two years of the pandemic, however, no one can say for sure whether such a security mechanism is secure enough.

A brief flashback to the premiere in mid-May: In the break between the two parts, Rochus Rückel, Jesus not on duty that day, visited Frederik Mayet, Jesus on duty, in the changing room and told him about his scratchy throat - corona test negative.

Rückel chewed a candy.

He should have played a day later.

However, those responsible agreed to grant Jesus II one more day of rest.

"We threw it down spontaneously," explains Franziska Seher, spokeswoman for the Passion Play.

Rutz, who is himself on stage as Joseph of Arimathea, adds: "We assume that two actors are enough and one is fit."

With smaller rolls, failures are easier to compensate

The subject is certainly not new.

Again and again it happened that actors in smaller roles that were not assigned twice had to pass.

In 2010, for example, Frederik Mayet helped out as an apostle.

The few sentences of a few supporting roles easily bring the main actors together - or they are redistributed to other characters.

"You can always step in for such small things," explains Rutz.

It only becomes critical when central parts like Jesus or Caiaphas break away.

"We assume that one can always play."

There is therefore no concrete emergency plan for the super meltdown, such as how tickets are ordered in the event of a possible cancellation.

"The moment the emergency occurs, you have to think twice," says Seher and Rutz adds: "If that's the case, we'll see."

In principle, explains the spokeswoman, both Jesus actors must be available on match days.

A strict isolation or physical separation of the two is not planned.

The makers stick to “common sense”, as she puts it.

As soon as there's a tweak in the throat, the actors should step back, look at themselves and catch whatever they've overheard.

"We cannot prescribe a restrictive separation", especially since many of the participants are still doing their jobs on the side.

“Everyone has their own life,” Seher emphasizes.

And should this unlikely event actually occur, then says Walter Rutz: "It's just not possible."