Wilcox World Travel and Tours

Wilcox World Travel and Tours/American Express started in Boone, NC in 1953 as the Herman W Wilcox Travel Agency. It was founded by Herman W. Wilcox and his son Glenn W. Wilcox, Sr. In 1965 Glenn Wilcox, Sr. opened a new headquarters office in Asheville and we became Wilcox Travel Agency, Inc. Also in 1965, Wilcox World Travel and Tours became one of the original 50 American Express Travel Agency Representatives in the world…a relationship we enjoy to this day. The 2010 Passion Play will be a historic year for Wilcox World Travel and Tours. We offer 4 tour options to this spectacular performance and other parts of Europe, across the spring, summer, and fall of 2010. This is our 7th time, stretching back to our first tour in 1960. The last time the Passion Play was performed in 2000, Wilcox World Travel and Tours operated over 33 European tour groups that included the Passion Play performance in their itinerary. Along with the villagers and people from all corners of the world, you’ll experience an ancient, historical reenactment of the life of Jesus Christ. The picturesque village of Oberammergau, Germany, nestled high in the Bavarian Alps, is a favorite destination for those seeking an outdoor experience in the mountains and great shopping in the wonderful, privately owned shops scattered all over town. A town of ornate chalets inhabited chiefly by woodcarvers who combine medieval craftsmanship with modern salesmanship, ship their whittlings all over the world. Over the town looms the jagged Kofel peak; in the town a bearded newsboy, attired in plus fours, sells his papers from a motorcycle. But the last year of each decade, it achieves worldwide recognition as the town turns the area into the world-renowned “Passion Play of Christ” theatrical marvel. The play, now performed daily over the course of five months, involves over 2,000 residents of Oberammergau, who become performers, musicians, and stage technicians. In this Bavarian village, the social register is the Holy Bible. Rising young men aspire to be Peter or John or Joseph, the more self-confident of them have even thought of being Jesus himself. The play comprises spoken dramatic text, musical and choral accompaniment and tableaux vivants. The tableaux vivants are scenes from the Old Testament depicted for the audience by motionless actors accompanied by verbal description. These scenes are the basis for the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. They include scenes of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery in Egypt, King Ahasuerus rejecting Vashti in favor of Esther, and Moses raising up the bronze serpent in the wilderness as the children of Israel escape bondage from Egypt. Each scene precedes that section of the play that is considered to be prefigured by the scene. The three tableaux mentioned are presented to the audience as prefiguring Christianity superseding Judaism, Judas selling information on the location of Jesus, and the crucifixion. This once in a decade tour is selling quickly. August and September tours are already sold out. Visit the tours below for dates, prices, and availability and reserve your seat early to avoid disappointment.