The Gospel According to the Other Mary

The American composer John Adams and librettist Peter Sellars focus on the marginalized perspectives of Mary and Martha. In their Opera/Oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary they set Biblical characters and events, including the resurrection of Lazarus and the passion of Christ, in a powerfully political, contemporary light. When Mary is released from jail, she is reunited with Martha, her sister. Martha runs a shelter for unemployed and homeless women. When their brother Lazarus dies before their eyes while an uprising rumbles outside, each sister’s attitudes and beliefs are put to the test.