New Opera of One Mary, or Three: Magdalene, Bethany or Other?

LOS ANGELES TIMES
By Reed Johnson

CALIFORNIA---Mary, the mother of Jesus, needs no introduction to much of humankind. But the "other Mary" of the New Testament — or "Marys," as the case may be — is a more elusive figure. So when composer John Adams' new oratorio-opera "The Gospel According to the Other Mary" had its world premiere in May at Walt Disney Concert Hall, it touched off a lively discussion among a handful of religious scholars and bloggers. In an interview before his work's premiere, Adams  said, he viewed Mary Magdalene as "an archetype of a woman who's had a hard past." In a sense she is a universal female figure, an Everywoman who transcends any specific time and place. [link]