A Jewish producer, who said he would go ahead with plans to stage an adaptation of the Oberammergau Passion Play in Britain despite sharp Jewish criticism, asserted yesterday that “as a Jew,” his participation would “insure” that the performance would not contain “anything to offend Jews.” The adaptation will open in Manchester on February 28.
Following a statement from the Board of Deputies of British Jews which urged Jews to have nothing to do with the planned presentation, two of the three Jewish impresarios associated with the British production plans — Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, and Vic Lewis — withdrew completely from the project. Mr. Epstein’s company, NEMS Enterprises, was to have acted as agent for the play in Britain and in the United States.
Philip Solomon, the producer and director of Dunedin Theatrical Enterprises, said he was distressed by the Board of Deputies statement but that he had no intention of dropping the project. The adapted version, for which Dunedin has British, Irish and American rights, will be performed also in Dublin and Glasgow. Solomon said he “quite understood” the decision of Epstein and Lewis to cease to act as agents but added he had found substitute agents.
Mr. Solomon explained that “as a Jew, I feel that by retaining my interests in the production, I can insure that it does not contain anything likely to offend Jews.” The original version, staged every ten years by the villagers of Oberammergau, has been widely criticized as anti-Semitic in its portrayal of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
