I don’t recall too many conversations in my life beginning with the words: “When I was on the cross last night…”. But there was one the other week in Oberammergau, as the entire Bavarian village geared up for the opening of this year’s Passion Play. It was nigh impossible to walk into a bar or bakery without encountering a Judas, Pilate, Mary or, in this case, Jesus, anxious to discuss how things were going with their roles.
Playing a major role at Oberammergau is no small undertaking. It commands your life for maybe four months of rehearsals followed by performances that run five nights a week from May through to October, which involves considerable sacrifices – jobs and holidays on hold. And in the process, the divisions between who you play and who you are can wear thin. In those village bars and bakeries, they’ll tell you about someone who played Jesus three times in the early 20th century and took to blessing people in the street. It calls for strength of character to stay entirely grounded.
