A Visit and a Chat with Mr. Rich. G. Hollaman, of the Eden Musee.
[...]
“Having given the matter considerable thought and seeing the vast possibilities in ‘The Passion Play’ production, I got into communication with the late Albert Eaves, who was interested with the late Henry E. Abbey in the proposed production of ‘The Passion Play’ at Booth's Theater in 1885. This was the celebrated Salmi Morse version, the rehearsals for which were under his immediate direction in an old church building on the site now occupied by Keith & Proctor’s Twenty-third Street Theater. These rehearsals went on for months, the costumes were all made for the production and at the last minute, almost, the mayor prohibited the performance of this sublime drama that was proposed to take place on the stage of Booth’s Theater, Twenty-third street and Sixth avenue, now occupied by McCreery’s Dry Goods Store.
“Mr. Eaves had all these costumes in storage, as well as the manuscript of the play. We engaged the late Henry C. Vincent, stage manager, to supervise the production, painting the scenery, making the properties, and to secure artists to rehearse the play. I also engaged Mr. William Paley to take the pictures and entered into a contract with Mr. Gilmore and Mr. Edison, of the Edison Manufacturing Company, to print the films.
“I arranged to use the roof of the Grand Central Palace as our stage, and rehearsals were commenced in the first week of November, 1897. It took us six weeks, in all sorts of weather, before the last scene was finished. The Edison Manufacturing Company delivered the first films about a month later and on January 31, 1898, the first production of ‘The Passion Play’ ever seen in this country was produced on the screen in the Winter Garden of the Eden Musee, one week before Mr. Hurd showed his version at Daly’s Theater. This is the story of the first great cinematograph production taken in America.

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The Moving Picture World, vol. 2, nº 8, 22 février 1908, p. 132.

"The Passion Play of Oberammergau" was given a private exhibition with the cinematograph and accesories, las evening, at the Eden Musee, in Manhattan. The exhibition was a complete success. Mme. Ida Caron, soprano; Henry Diekmann, tenor; William Ferris, baritone, and O.H.H. Booth, organist, rendered the musical part of the programme acceptably.

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The Standard Union, Brooklyn, vendredi 28 janvier 1898, p. 8.

SCENES OF BIBLE SUBJECTS.
SCENES OF BIBLE SUBJECTS.AN EXHIBITION OF PASSION PLAY PICTURES AT THE EDEN MUSEE.
A series of Passion Play pictures was presented at the Eden Musée yesterday by the cinematograph. It was intended as a press view, though such visitors as happened to be in the Musée at the time also saw it. The pictures will be regularly presented to the public for the first lime on Monday. Twenty-three scenes are shown, beginning with the shepherds watching their flocks and ending with the ascension. It would thus be more accurate to describe the series simply as a Scriptural play, since it is not confined to the scenes of the Passion.
Allowance being made for the lack of preparation, which will be remedied before the pictures are publicly shown, they were presented, for the most part, with good effect. A mistake was made in announcing them as representing the Passion Play of Oberammergau. Pictures of the celebrated play of that place cannot have been taken for use in the cinematograph, for the obvious reason that marvellous machine had not been invented at the time when the play was last given, in 1890. Nor do these pictures even approach a close imitation of the Oberammergau play. Of the twenty-three scenes shown yesterday, eleven do not occur at all in the play of Oberammergau, which begins with the entry of Christ into Jerusalem.
These pictures have their own excellencies, and they are quite capable of standing on their own bottom, and should be allowed to do so. The best of them were the flight into Egypt, the raising of Lazarus, the crucifixion and the descent from the cross. While the first two of these are not given in the Oberammergau play, the other two more nearly resemble that representation than anything else that was shown. That which takes half an hour or soon the stage had to be compressed into a few minutes on the screen, but the action had the appearance of being modelled alter the famous Bavarian play. Perhaps these scenes were done better than the others for the very reason that they were harder to do. The exhibition seemed to make a favorable impression on those who saw it, and it is likely to interest the frequenters of the Musée.

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New York Tribune, New York, samedi 29 janvier 1898, p. 9.

The Passion Play
The Passion Play enacted by the peasants of the Bavarian village of Ober Ammergau, every ten years has been the subject of many lectures in this country. These lectures, as a rule, have been illustrated by stereoptlcon lantern pictures, which have shown with some degree of fidelity the important features of this wonderful religious drama. Until the present season there never has been an attempt to give the realism of motion to the scenes placed upon the screen but Mr Edison's latest invention now makes this possible.
The possibilities of the moving picture were not known on the occasion of the last presentation of the play in 1890, but with the aid of photographs taken by Mr William Paley and the assistance of a large company of men and women engaged for the purpose Mr Edison has been able to prepare a series of films that display a remarkable life-likeness in the production of "The story that transformed the world".
Mr James R Waite, the veteran manager, was one of the first to secure the right of production for this novel impressive and beautiful series of pictures. They were sent to this city, Monday, and were given their first presentation at the Academy of Music, Wednesday afternoon. The invitations to this private exhibition were sent to the clergy, the press and a number of prominent citizens many of whom responded.
Mr Waite in opening the exhibition stated that by arrangement with Mr. Edison the pictures are not to be given in connection with any theatrical performance, but that the sacred character of the story must be recognized and respected. He stated the facts in connection with the production of the play and then asked Mrs Kate Woods Fiske, a member of the company, to read the lecture and introduce the pictures. Mrs Fiske read the story with an intelligent and sympathetic appreciation which made an excellent impression upon her hearers.
The pictures were 23 in number and were representative of scenes in the life of the Saviour— from the annunciation to the ascension. There was a dignity and marked character in the scenes that made them strikingly Impressive. For a first presentation the mechanism worked well, and some of the pictures were remarkably effective, notably the raising of Lazarus, carrying the cross, the crucifixion and the ascension.
The Influence of such an exhibition on those who witness It must be for good, if the sacred character of the scenes Is respected. It presents the story of the Saviour's mission and his sufferings vividly before the spectators; gives life and effectiveness to the pictured representations of the story of the Passion week and as such must be a stimulus to thoughtful Investigation.
Mr Waite announces a public presentation of the pictures at the Academy Friday morning.

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Fall River Daily Evening News, Fall River, jeudi 3 mars 1898, p. 8.