‘The Last Days of Judas Iscariot’
Was Judas Iscariot – arguably the Bible’s most famous suicide – victim of a bad rap, or was the crime of ratting Jesus out to the Romans for some silver coins so heinous that hanging himself was the only rational response?
That’s the premise of Triad Productions’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, playing through January 30 at the Tenth Avenue Performance Annex. Stephen Schmitz directs this intriguing play by Stephen Adly Guirgis.
Guirgis sets up a courtroom in a corner of purgatory called Hope, and a legal appeal in the case of The Kingdom of Heaven and Earth v. Judas Iscariot, complete with grouchy Judge Littlefield (Charles Peters), a slimy, obsequious prosecutor named El-Fayoumy (Kris Zarif) and sexy, short-skirted defense attorney Fabiana Aziza Cunningham (Samantha Ginn).
Satan (Scott Andrew Amiotte) is on the witness list for the prosecution, as are Mother Teresa (Sacha Smith) and Judas’ mother Henrietta (Anna Rebek). Cunningham calls disciple Simon the Zealot (Brian Burke), Pontius Pilate (Merrick McCartha), Sigmund Freud (Brendan Cavalier) and Caiaphas the Elder (Charles Peters) for the defense.
James Cota as Judas and Scott Andrew Amiotte as Satan in Triad Productions' 'The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.'
Also in the large cast (most actors play multiple roles) are Jesus (Patrick Kelly), an angel named Gloria (Sacha Smith) and disciples Matthew (Joseph Tyrer), Thomas (Brendan Cavalier) and Peter (Kevin Morrison).
Along for local color is St. Monica (Lynae DePriest), hip street-talkin’ “heaven’s nag” and mother of St. Augustine, who claims a direct line to the guy upstairs (and boasts, “You know what? My ass gets results”), but even she cannot break through the paralyzing guilt that has resulted in Judas’ near catatonia.
Guirgis tends to focus on the losers of the world – as he does in previous plays Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings – and on big topics. Judas’ story is the conceit, not the subject of this play. Despite the title, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is about human nature, man’s response to despair, divine mercy and free will and the nearly lost art of forgiveness – of ourselves and others.
He manages to bring the philosophical underpinnings of Judas down to a manageable level (though the first act does seem a bit didactic), and shows a great facility both for crafting interesting characters and making near poetry out of street talk.
He also finds the humor in his serious topic. At one point, for example, Cunningham finds Caiaphas slow to respond to a question. “This is purgatory, Caiaphas, I got all day,” she quips.
Jason Bieber’s lighting design complements Kristen Flores’ functional, even attractive set with light-infused white fabric columns and the usual courtroom furniture.
This is a fine cast all around, but as always in this facility, actors need to remember that this space is not blessed with good acoustics. Whispering and talking softly are not likely to be heard in the back. Likewise, Zarif’s fast-talking El-Fayoumy needs to slow down a bit in the interest of intelligibility.
I found The Last Days of Judas Iscariot engaging throughout, though it could stand a trim here and there (it clocks in at just under three hours). The coda, for example, in which jury foreman Butch Honeywell (Joseph Tyrer) confesses his sins to Judas seems gratuitous and tacked on.
Guirgis writes thought-provoking plays for the adventurous theatergoer. If that is you, give The Last Days of Judas Iscariot a try.
Triad Productions’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot plays through January 30, 2010 at Tenth Avenue Performance Annex. Shows Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 5 p.m. For tickets visit www.triadprod.com.
