JESUS RACES through the village of Oberammergau on an old, rattling bicycle. In real life the shaggy-haired, bearded man is Andreas Richter (33), a psychologist, but from now until October he will be crucified three times a week, to fulfil an oath from 1633.
The Bavarian village was in the grip of the 30 Years War when it was struck by the plague. One desolate day, standing before 70 fresh graves, villagers swore a solemn oath to God: spare our village from the plague and we will perform a Passion play every decade, forever.
On Saturday night, for the 41st time, Oberammergau locals made good on that promise to retell the story of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Today the promise has been mixed with modern commerce – more than 500,000 paying visitors will visit a performance between now and October – but the play’s power has not been diluted.
Preparations began last year on Ash Wednesday with a mayoral decree: all Passion play participants – half of the 5,300 villagers are involved, 1,800 onstage – were to cease cutting their hair with immediate effect, and the men were to stop shaving. As only local villagers can participate in the play, that makes for a high concentration of straggly hair.
Richter shares the role of Jesus with Frederik Mayet (30). The bearded man with a haunting stare hopes to challenge preconceptions about Jesus by playing him “not just as an endlessly suffering man, but someone who wants something from us”.
“For most of us, Jesus’s messages, like ‘love your neighbour’, are worn-out cliches we’ve heard a thousand times,” he says. “These words have taken on a fresh, new meaning that, for me, make them as contemporary as 2,000 years ago.”
Although director Christian Stückl is just 48, the 2010 Passion play is his third production.
With the blessing of his Oberammergau neighbours, Stückl has modified the 1633 play to incorporate the main teachings of Jesus – in recognition that they may not be familiar to many audience members. He has also highlighted the inner-Jewish conflict at the drama’s heart, cleverly defusing accusations of anti-Semitism that have plagued the piece for centuries.
Stückl, himself an Oberammergau native, says the play unites the village, taking locals on a familiar journey that changes every decade with the changing world around them.
“Many of the young people get involved for a chance to act, but everyone is changed and touched by the subject matter,” he says.
“The distance to the church is growing, even in Bavaria, but people are still looking for a religious and ethical framework for support.”
At almost six hours, in two acts, the story unfolds at a slow but thoughtful pace. The amateur actors deliver credible and moving performances, but the dramatic highlight is the bone- chilling scene when more than 800 Oberammergau villagers on stage scream to Pontius Pilate: “Crucify him!”
One participant is local woman Bärbel Marzüsch (61), who joins the final crowd scenes after closing her clothes shop. “I had a choice of belonging to the good group of Jesus followers, but I chose the bad group because they have more screaming and shouting,” she says.
Despite its huge scale – horses and camels make brief appearances – the Passion play remains an intimate, thoughtful evening. Dramatic scenes are interspersed with choral scenes and colourful tableaux vivants from the Old Testament.
After Friday night’s dress rehearsal, locals streamed out of the theatre visibly moved.
“This is about belief,” says one 50-something man, close to tears. “It’s as simple as that.”
Hans Wolf from the neighbouring village of Eschenlohe is exhilarated. “We’re the reason Oberammergau has its play,” he says sheepishly. “It was a man from our village who came here to visit his girlfriend who gave them the plague.”
In an anxious age of clerical abuse scandals and empty churches, the Oberammergau Passion play remains an unmoved, moving tribute to one village’s Christian faith: past, present and future. “My son will be the youngest actor on the stage,” says Richter.
“He’s five months old, born on December 25th last year.” Casting directors for the 2040 Passion play take note.