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For almost 400 years, the residents of Oberammergau, a picture-book village in Germany's Bavaria, have told and retold the story of Jesus' last days. Honoring a promise made to God in 1634 to perform a Passion Play once a decade if they were spared from the Bubonic plague, the townspeople began their five-month run this May. Yet Oberammergau's current production might seem jarring to the originators of that vow, let alone those whose knowledge comes only from Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." With a revised text and new direction, the play has shifted from emphasizing Jesus' suffering—and those...

Passion Play season opens in Oberammergau Published: 16 May 10 09:55 CETOnline: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100516-27225.html The 2010 Oberammergau Passion Play premiered to nearly 5,000 spectators Saturday. The performance marks the start of the 41st production of the traditional five-hour performance. About 2,400 residents – or half of Oberammergau’s total population – participated on stage or behind the scenes to help with this year’s production. The Passion Play tradition goes back to 1633, when the plague struck the Alpine village and locals vowed, if they were spared, to put on a play about the crucifixion and reincarnation of Jesus once every 10 years...