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SAINT JUDAS SYNOPSIS
The Messiah has come! Judas is convinced! (PROLOGUE)
He has experienced the charisma of Jesus during the Sermon on
the Mount. (BLESSED ARE THEY) Surely, this is the Christ,
chosen to free the Jews from the Romans and establish the Kingdom
of God. Temptation, anguish, doubt and betrayal lie before Judas
as he begins THREE YEARS ON THE ROAD with Jesus and the
other Apostles. |
Monday evening of Holy Week, near Jerusalem, Jesus and the Apostles
share a meal with Mary Magdalene, and Mary and Martha of Bethany,
(sisters to Lazarus). Mary of Bethany confesses adoration for Jesus
(WHAT COULD I GIVE HIM) and washes his feet with an expensive
perfume. (THE ENCOUNTER/TRY NOT) Magdalene's sensitivity and
sympathy reap only the bitter harvest of Judas' MAD, MAD MARY.
Jesus consoles the weeping Magdalene. (WEEP, MARY, WEEP)
Surrounded by the tormented dancing of the "Furies," (in Greek tragedy:
the avenging spirits of souls killed unjustly,) Judas expresses confusion
and disillusionment as his hopes for a militant Messiah are continually
frustrated by Jesus' hesitation to act (I'VE WATCHED HIM CHANGING).
Meanwhile, at the Temple in Jerusalem, High Priest Caiaphas and his
father-in-law, Annas, worry about the implications of this new "Messiah,"
especially during the crowded confusion of Passover. (EVERYBODY'S
IN TOWN THIS WEEK) Aware of Judas' growing disenchantment, Annas
suggests this "saint" might be useful in controlling the potentially
explosive situation. Later that evening, Judas arrives hoping to use
Caiaphas in a last attempt to force Jesus to act. (THE MEETING)
While on a hill outside the city, the Apostles contemplate their own
fates in the unfolding drama. (WONDER WHO I'D BE, APOSTLE TALK,
WHEN WE GET TO JERUSALEM) In sharp contrast is the lament of Jesus:
JERUSALEM.
Following THE LAST SUPPER, which includes flashbacks, Judas
defines his role in "enabling" Jesus to fulfill (what Judas believes
to be) the true Messianic calling (GETHSEMANE) Dedicated to
different goals, Jesus refuses and THE ARREST follows. Magdalene
then bids farewell to Jesus in an added number, SHALOM.
Montclair, CA High School |
Armed with news of the arrest of
Jesus, Caiaphas and Annas are off to the Roman's palace where
visiting Roman official, Pilate, and his wife, Claudia, are
already spending a restless night. (PILATE AND SPOUSE)
Claudia sings of disturbing omens experienced in dreams. (CLAUDIA'S
SONG)
On the Friday morning streets of Jerusalem, vulgar announcement
is given the high-noon crucifixion by street urchins (READ
ALL ABOUT IT). Then, with the final event of the Passion
of Jesus, THE CRUCIFIXION, comes the rejection of Judas
in his own final anguish and passion. (JUDAS BEFORE DEATH)
As the broken betrayer takes his own life, the haunting strains
of JERUSALEM mingle despair and hope in the FINALE.
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