The Great Passion Play is hands down, just a beautiful story. Obviously! It's the greatest story ever told! Of JESUS CHRIST! :) The crew here works so hard to bring this captivating story to life - and boy do they succeed! My favorite part was the theater set-up. Even when you see the 7 or 8 obvious scenes upon arrival, what you don't see is hidden in the hills above! It was so cool how they transitioned from scene to scene using torches and powerful lights to direct your eyes. It kept the play moving seamlessly. At first, the single track pre-recorded audio bothered me a bit, but it was actually super easy to hear ALL the words, track who was saying it, and understand the references. They worked in SOOO many scriptures!!! What a night. Even without seeing all the other attractions on sight, we felt our time was well spent. read more

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I was impressed by the multi level stage set up, the use of live animals (and what they left behind gave the scenes authenticity) and the pacing of the show (the actors ran or walked quickly to give us a sense of urgency throughout). If you wanted a good visual representation of the final days and resurrection of Christ this is a good show. The only nit pick I have was the American accents through out the production. This is not a historical accurate play nor do they say it is. In fact , Kevin Sorbo explained to us that much of the dialogue was inspired by the Bible. So there's that. read more

This was a real blessing. Scripturally sound, gospel centered. The sound, lighting, acting, use of live animals, all in play with an awesome backdrop made for a great production. Definitely worth planning a trip around to see. These folks are doing a great job spreading the gospel. Come and check them out. Plan a trip downtown on Sunday to worship at First Baptist Penn Memorial Church as well. Very welcoming and traditional church family in a beautiful, historic building. read more

The Great Passion Play - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

We loved it!! Everyone who can, should do see this! Have so many nice things to observe before the play!

The Holy Land experience was an amazing experience. The passion play was equally amazing. Definitely would recommend this to younger generations. They need Jesus! read more

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We went last weekend for old time sake when we were on vacation to Branson. Wow it has really changed since last time at least 20 years ago! Neither one of us remember Death/the devil being in it from back then, so that must be new and we both thought it was smart and holy to show who the Lord fought so he could save us! We were so impressed by the new modern light show also! Our only complaint is the actors (except for Judas and Mrs. Pilate) were not the same quality we remember. Even Jesus Christ was bland and not polished acting at all. Hubby thinks it's because they had pro actors way back when in the old days. It was still fun to go to, just be prepared for the changes! PS. Sorry for the late review! Hubby tried while we were on our trip but you know how grandpa's and technology are! So now I'm playing catch up with some of our reviews from the trip! read more

Wonderful live production! Love the live animals that were part of the show. Beautiful grounds with so much to see and do before the performance. We did the "behind the scenes" tour in the afternoon which was awesome! The buffet dinner was delicious as well! Highly recommend visiting! read more

Fun place to visit! There are a lot of hiking opportunities and the tour is a fun time! Nice people there too.

I went to make a family member happy and decided to support a shop and buy something and it was only $5 but the next day I checked my bank account and I got charged 3 different charges for 1 item. It looked like 3 different purchases but they were all for the same thing I bought, seems like a scam when they are asking for $40 k in donations for repairs and only have maybe 200 people show up for the play. Just saying. read more

Great way to spend a busy day! Went during Jeep jam but didnt interfere with the events. We did all the things and had a great time. Consessions were good. Play was amazing as well as the staff. Statue and museums were breathe taking. read more

The Great Passion Play - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Went tonight for the first time with my 2 youngest girls. Silly hot out but we worth it. Wish sound could be a lite louder. I recommend it read more

The Great Passion Play - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Absolutely incredible. The staff and actors are very friendly, engaging and informative. Visiting the Holy Land and all the animals was fun too! The gift shop ladies were very sweet and friendly. Just an all around great day! read more

My favorite part of this show was my exit. The play itself was garish, tasteless, and cheesy. The actors lip-synced from a soundtrack with synthesized music. Some parts of the show were so poorly staged, poorly acted, and poorly directed that it was uncomfortable and awkward to watch. And being in the cult-ish audience was like being in a Children of the Corn immersive experience. The woman sitting beside me crunched chips and whispered to me as the show began that she had been waiting her whole life to see this. As the show progressed, I felt sad for her as I wondered wtf her life must be like. A while later, she wept during the execution as she ate more chips. After the show, as I was leaving, she said that my shoes looked like shoes that a [insert ugly epithet] would wear. I thanked her. Tickets for this sh!t show were around $30. If you're lucky and the show gets rained out, you can get a refund if you've bought weather insurance. I understand that there are tours of the set that you can also purchase, as well as meals and trips to a buffet you can buy. You can gaze at the giant Christ of the Ozarks for free. In all fairness, I must say that I'm not religious, so my review is based solely on entertainment value. Though I think the show itself deserves zero stars, this strange, cultural experience earns it a single star for being moderately interesting. read more

The Great Passion Play - More of the set - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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Wonderful depiction of the last days for Jesus. Updated sound system made the experience even better. read more

The Great Passion Play - Passion play set is amazing - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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This place reminds me of the movie Tiger King. It is just a show. If you read the Bible and know GOD's Word you find yourself analyzing their show scripts and wanting to correct the adult and teenage actors that guide you. The heat and that alone is not worth your time nor money. They pridefully tell you that people come from all over to bow to that statue and will not tell them it is a sin worship idols. It's all about money. May I add that my group that attended is African American and our treatment is a whole story own it's on. read more

Excellent outdoor play depicting the life of Jesus. There is ample seating and this amphitheater is nestled in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. It's worth the trip. Be sure to support this non profit organization help spread the word of God! Highly recommended for all ages. read more

Visited in early August the play was very good and very true to the Bible. I saw it when I was a kid with my parents and this time took my wife and daughter. We toured the Art museum it was very cool and wish we had gotten there earlier so we could have spent more time there and in the Bible museum. If you are in the Branson area it is worth the short drive to go see. read more

We didn't actually see the play but we toured the grounds and checked out the gift shop etc and this is a really neat place. I would like to see the play they just were not performing when we stopped by in December. I would come back for sure. read more

We came here for the mountain bike trails. They are kinda hard to find even with the map. They are clearly marked once you find them in the woods. My son and I had a blast on them. We parked in a lot that had many vehicles with bike racks. Then asked someone with a bike where to go. One trail can be accessed walking your bikes past the big statue. Stay to the left as you're walking up behind him. Keep left until you can walk off the concrete into a trail in the woods. Stay on this and you'll come to signs for some easy green trails. My ten year old had a blast on these. They were good fun and I wasn't worried about him getting hurt. There was some extreme stuff we found marked hard that I wouldn't go near lol. If mountain biking is your "passion" you'll love this place. I'll try to link the map. https://www.greatpassionplay.org/uploads/1/5/6/5/15651412/printable_trail_map_-_2020_great_passion_play_mountain_bike_trails_for_website.pdf read more

The Great Passion Play - Map screen shot. Link in review. - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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This is the 50th year The Great Passion Play has performed. I went as a young girl in the early seventies, took my children in the nineties, and as a birthday present, my husband took me again last night. In an ever changing world where life is fast, there is something to be said for tradition and longevity. The set is nothing short of spectacular. Much care and detail is in the hillside amphitheater. Costumes are well done. Music is original score. It isn't necessary to be religious to appreciate the play. We sat on the very front row as I wanted to be as close to the set as possible. If we go again, I would choose to sit a bit farther back for two reasons. 1. I felt I didn't take in the entire set at once and 2. The music was incredibly loud. Is the acting top notch? Well, not exactly. But the story is. I didn't care for the request for an offering to help offset the cost of running the play and facilities. The tickets are not inexpensive, and asking for more money just seemed inappropriate. That being said, you don't have to give more money , do you? I do recommend the play. It is unique. It is in a beautiful setting. It is timeless. read more

I was unbelievably amazed by walking into a huge outdoor amphitheater. The big huge stage is designed as a small town. Literally, you can see all plays live like you are watching movie, not missing out any detail. I had incredibly spiritual feeling the whole time I was watching it. Usually I feel uncomfortable watching long hours in any theater but here, I was enjoying every moment. I will go back here to watch again. read more

I'm so glad I already know Christ as my Savior. This was so poorly done it might have made it difficult to come to Him. I brought my whole family to this and we left about half way through we just couldn't take it. I was embarrassed that I had planned it as part of our vacation and had paid money for it to carry on. The script was so discombobulated that it was like one really long bad run on sentence!! So out of context. The writer jumbled up scripture from all over and pieced it together. I'm sad and mad that people pay money and it is such a poor representation of Christ. Sell it to someone like Dallas Jenkins of "The Chosen" and let them reinvent it or else close the doors! It was like a rundown production from 40 years ago. read more

That was the worst production I have ever seen and that's saying a lot. The dialogue was terrible the acting was just as bad. The actors didn't deliver the lines they were pre-recorded and just mouthed the words. I was embarrassed as a Christian as a believer in Jesus Christ that this was representing the Christ we believe in. It took the events of Christ life and jumbled them up in a chaotic fashion that even with 2 degrees in the Scriptures had a hard time following. I would not recommend this even for believers let alone for someone who might be seeking to know about Christ. Greatly disappointed. I would ask for my money back but all sales are final. We walked out an hour into the production. read more

I had been looking forward to seeing the great Passion Play for at least the past year and I was just so pleased to have made the trip to see the play. First the positives -- the set of The Great Passion Play is just amazing. The stage is huge and creates a feeling of a small town with different buildings and areas where different aspects of the play take place. There are even live animals running through at times, and just the most adorable little whippet that stands with Pilate's wife. The sound system is also excellent. Customer service is second to none, and the buffet in the great hall was very good. The free extras that you can see such as the bible museum and art collection are also impressive. As for the negatives I have to say that I was disappointed with the quality of the play itself. The actors were amateurish, parts of the play were rushed, and parts were just very stale. Seemed well suited to an audience of age 70+. This can be a really awesome production with just a little bit of imagination. But I'm still glad I came. read more

The Great Passion Play - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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21 years ago, my husband and I came to Eureka Springs for our honeymoon and saw the story of Christ's life, death, and resurrection in this beautiful outdoor theater. Under the stars at the foothill of a mountain, we had the joy of sharing it with two of our children! It is a must-experience while in Eureka and certainly worthy of a trip in and of itself! read more

The Great Passion Play - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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Great in so many ways, purchased combo ticket $41 if you would like the buffet its $13 more which I didn't purchase price for just play is $25 .The tour included a journey thru Jesus life alpha/omega. Tour which require some walking up hill, live animals and great story tellers of the story along the journey. The play was beautiful a bit drawn out but hey it was Jesus. Everyone at the park is very helpful and informative if anyone needed assistance, wheel chairs and golf carts were there to transport. Seating is stadium wise for play so every spot is a good spot. Water available thru out the whole park for just a $1 , once play begins they sell $3 popcorn but don't bother burnt/old didn't bother asking when it was popped didn't want them to lie on holy ground . I would suggest school age children smaller ones just wanted to run around much like myself and it wasn't much that would capture their attention . It's a nice experience and everyone should check it out, and I'm not churchy and I enjoyed it read more

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The size of the show stage and hill side was really awesume to see! Im not a religious person so i did find the show to be very educational and would definitely recommend it to everyone. read more

Awesome play that shows the life of Christ !!! If you've never been , and are looking for a place to go see you should go .

This was an AMAZING experience. We spent most of the day here. We took the Holy Land Tour and then we ate at the buffet. We then watched the Great Passion Play. It was very emotional and beautiful! All of the employees/actors were very friendly and open. I could feel God's presence here the entire time. read more

I lived in Berryville, Ar in 2001 and we used to go and see this play and loved it! they tell me back in the day the play was live which means the actors voices were real, when I saw the play it was pre-recorded but it was still a great play. Watching the play outside in the cool evening breeze was a treat and the restaurants would stay open a little longer due to them waiting for the play to end which was a treat. Awesome town with a Christmas village feel to it, if I had the money I would buy a bed & breakfast there and retire. read more

This is a great interpretation of Christ's final days. I actually think it has improved since I last saw it. Great for families (though personally, I'd be careful taking little-bitty kiddos (the crucifixion may be a bit scary, though it is not overly gory.) They have a great snack bar and isn't too pricey. We didn't see any of the side shows, but did purchase the "Parabales of the Potter" DVD and it was quite good! Make sure to check out Christ of the Ozarks too! Wonderful for folks of all ages! read more

The Passion Play is a great experience. I highly recommend it. Be sure you take time to walk through the different museums and such that are offered. They are small but they are worth it. We bought the family pass and it was very cost efficient for our large family. The Holy Land tour is good, but the bus they move you on is not air conditioned so if it is summer (as it was for us) it is incredibly hot in the bus when it is not moving, which is often since you have to wait for others to load obviously. I will note that there was one point of bad doctrine being taught in the Last Supper portion of the tour, but I am happy to report that I sent a respectful letter to the show's director and he kindly replied with thanks and an assurance that it had been addressed. That's how Christians should deal with one another. None of us are above error, but when error occurs we should examine the claim and if we are wrong we should repent. I believe they did and for that I recommend this play. read more

My wife and I had both been as children and decided to take our own kids on the Christian Mecca that The Great Passion Play seems to be. We really did enjoy seeing the story again. The slightly uncomfortable chairs had us wishing it ended about 15 minutes sooner. Our kids (8 & 10) loved seeing the play. They know all of the story so it was very familiar to them, but this was probably the first time they had seen so much of it stitched together at once. They were not impatient with the length of the play (1 hour 45 minutes), and they were rather impressed with a few of the special effects. The weeknight showing allowed us to have our pick of seats without rushing into a crowd. Parking and traffic were very manageable. Be sure to drive down to see the Christ of the Ozarks statue before you park. Don't miss this experience if you are stopping in Eureka Springs. read more

This place is most definitely worth the visit. Lots to see and do. The play itself is awesome. The Jesus statue is amazing. Great place for all types of people to visit. You won't be disappointed. read more

I just saw the Passion Play as well as the Holy Land Tour. Both were Great and were time well spent on my Eureka trip. I expected the play to be good and it did not disappoint! I was surprised that the dialogue was pre recorded, but the actors were so in sync with it that I actually found that to be a positive because I could hear all the dialogue clearly. The Stage setting built into the hill was amazing. The Holy Land Tour was fascinating, educational, and way above my expectations. Those little extras are well worth the time if you get get a chance to do them. The buffet dinner was convenient, delicious and if not fancy, perfect for dinner in the Ozarks. Other than the play itself which was one of a kind, the thing that most impressed me was the sincerity of all the staff. They see their role as a mission not just a job. In fact many of them seem to be unpaid volunteers. The only negative thing I could mention is the number of times they point out they are accepting donations, some might say that was over emphasized. read more

What a lovely place! Many things to see like a piece of the Berlin Wall or the Christ of the Ozarks. Cute little shops too! We spent a couple of hours here while driving through and it was well worth it. Plenty of parking and kind visitor guides. read more

The Great Passion Play - Beautiful! - Performing Arts Near Me - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

follows scripture, visually stimulating, sets amazing We loved our time there. We actually were able to volunteer to help with maintenance and construction projects and be guests in the Thursday performance, as well as watch the Friday performance. Everyone was very gracious and we enjoyed sharing our youth mission trip with the Great Passion Play. We purchased the buffet dining option before the performance, and the food was excellent. We also attended the Parables of the Potter before the play and it was very good. read more

Wow. HUGE production. Awesome place. One can tell the intent is "Spirit filled" in everything they do. If you've never been then make the time to. It is definitely one to scratch off one's "bucket list". Again. AWESOME. read more

My husband and I went to Eureka Springs for our 1 year anniversary. Oct. 10th we went to the play and absolutely loved it! It was amazing to see how many people and animals were involved in this play production. There was nice music and lighting drama as well in certain scenes of the play. We both loved that they kept to accurate scripture and didn't add anything that wasn't in the Bible. The cast spoke in easy to understand language of today's time and made the scenes were very easy to understand for anyone watching. Great ministry tool for those that don't know the Lord! We had a really great time! read more

What's not to like, it's a fabulous play, in an amazing outdoor theater under the stars. My favorite part this year, was the behind the scenes tour. The same fellow who plays David the Shepherd gave the tour and his excitement was contagious. Not only did he offer insights into the background of the set, but also of the families who make it all happen. It was a small group taking the tour and he answered every question we could throw at him. Amazing! Spend the day. You won't regret it. read more