Spectacle

Most likely the most popular part of the plays was the spectacle that they presented to the audience. Anything that was supernatural the the Bible described happening they actually had happen onstage. Things like turning water into wine, a constant 5 minute rain for Noah's flood, Jesus walking across water, the apostles filling their nets with fish, and they would even burn buildings, wicker versions that they actually set on fire. From the creation of trap doors and mechanisms that 'flew' people up to Heaven and back down again, to creating effigies of people, filling them with animal bones and entrails, and burning them for a realistic smell (Brockett pg. 91). Below is an image of the stage of the Valenciennes Passion Play in 1547, to give an idea of the kind of spectacle put on.

In our day and age, we may have a few of these things in our plays, but never could we actually burn anything in a controlled fire onstage for fear of starting a larger, uncontrolled one. All of this would also cost us ludicrous amounts of money in which the theatre doesn't generally have at it's disposal any longer unless it's on Broadway. Though something to think about, is really this was the Broadway of it's time, the entire city, and most people outside the city in other towns and villages, would come to see these plays for days on end.