The Gospel story – without Jesus? A musical about the life of Christ – without Him ever being on stage? How could this be?

The answers to these questions are found in The Twelve, a new musical opera composed by musician Dave Frincke and lyricist Joseph P. Gudel. One of the unique aspects of The Twelve is that, as the title indicates, the entire Gospel story is told from the perspective of the apostles – Jesus is never on stage.

It begins with Elderly John, imprisoned on Patmos, reflecting to the audience what had transpired. In a somewhat similar fashion as the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Elderly John acts as a narrator for the audience, periodically singing the words of Jesus or providing a segue as the story unfolds.

After Elderly John’s introduction the story flashes back to the shores of Galilee where we meet Peter, James, Young John, and Andrew for the first time in a song entitled Go Fish.

From there the story shows the development and eventual transformation of these very realistic and ordinary men from fishermen, tax collectors, etc., into the apostles who took the Gospel to the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire, ending with the climactic Martyr’s Anthem.