Synopsis

Judgment Day is an original opera based on the Christian Book of the Revelation.
 
Set in the near future, the opera tells the story of Thomas Judge, an avowed agnostic tortured by the ills in today's world and his own powerlessness to change anything. Judge becomes romantically involved with Maggie Morningstar, a deeply religious woman who believes in the literal truth of the Bible. Maggie is convinced that the end of the world as predicted in Revelation is drawing near, and resolves to help Thomas find his way to faith before the coming apocalypse. As the two develop a close relationship, high drama unfolds on the world stage.

Global catastrophe appears imminent. The political tensions of the early 21st century have reached an all-time high, and governments are turning to increasingly draconian measures to exert control. Marshall Law, a war hero turned politician, is running for U.S. president on a platform of order and security. A new anarchist movement, led by the zealous Peter, is dedicated to fighting globalization by any means necessary. Natural disasters and epidemics continually threaten large portions of the population. On top of all this, astronomers have discovered that a huge flying object, presumed to be a comet, is headed toward Earth and may be on a collision course. Humanity surely seems doomed.

Out of this chaos, a new messianic movement emerges led by a pop star named Psi. Psi heralds the coming of a prophet who will lead humanity away from its disastrous path and toward a bright new future. The prophet, known only as The One, soon arrives and promises to help the people of Earth to transcend their petty differences-- if only they can renounce their religious and irrational ways. Millions decide to take him up the offer: The One is crowned King of the World, a benevolent dictator ruling a secular world government.

This Faustian bargain doesn't last long. The rule of The One turns to malign despotism, and the people of Earth realize that they have traded their freedom for an empty promise of security. Devout Christians are now certain that The One is a false prophet-- likely the Antichrist prophesied in Revelation-- and that it is actually the time of the Tribulation, where the faithful will have to prove themselves through martyrdom. As the opera draws to a conclusion, each of the characters’ most cherished ideas is tested, and everyone is forced to take a side in an ultimate battle between good and evil. At curtain, Thomas is the sole survivor-- and the audience is left to wonder if this whole thing was the product of his tortured mind.

Judgment Day is a topical retelling of one of the most popular books of the Bible set to a modern score. Judgment Day explores questions of faith and the possible end of everything, and ultimately lets the audience draw its own conclusions about a cosmic tale whose end has yet to be written.