|
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
By Stephen Adly Guirgis
Directed by Kevin Christopher Fox
At The Gift Theatre Company
4802 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL
Call 773-283-7071, tickets $20 - $25
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:30 pm
Running time is 2hours, 30 minutes with intermission
Through May 18, 2008
Provocative and earthy, yet totally brilliant play unfolds at The Gift Theatre
In one of their finest ensemble works to date, The Gift Theatre Company presents a terrific Equity production of the talented playwright, Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Guirgis has done his research as he tackles Catholic religious doctrine about the conflict between divine mercy and the personal choices due to human free will. Guirgis wonders why Judas Iscariot was condemned to hell for eternity when other apostles were give forgiveness by Jesus? Judas is on trial to determine if he is eligible for redemption.
 |
The scene is a court room in a corner of Purgatory called Hope that finds defense attorney Fabiana Cunningham (Kathleen Logelin) speaking for Judas while El-Fayoumy (Benjamin Montague) speaks to uphold eternal hell for Judas. The Judge (Mark Czoske) committed suicide in 1864 and runs the court according to his whims. Judas Iscariot (Michael Patrick Thornton) sits almost comatose speaking only in flashback scenes from his past. Guirgis’ script contains a wild mixture of hip-hop street talk and foul-mouthed speech together with a most poetic dialogue filled with humor and whimsy.
 |
This clever drama is a religious inquiry filled with vivid characterizations of New Testament people involved in Judas’ and Jesus’ lives. Guirgis’ tackles Catholic views of the life and death of Jesus through folks like Saint Monica (Liza Fernandez) played as a Mexican street walker or Matthias/Saint Peter (John Kelly Connolly) as a crude fisherman. Pilate gives heated testimony defending Roman policy against the Jews. Mary Magdalene (Laura Shatkus) claims she was Jesus’ best friend while Satan (Paul D’Addario) twice testifies against Judas. Satan’s wit and fervor opens Judas’ damnation in a new light.
While this play could use a trimming, it uses humor, wacky characterizations and enough intelligent, thought-provoking dialogue to both quickly engage us and keep us involved throughout. I particularly enjoyed the stellar ensemble work from the sixteen member cast under Kevin Christopher Fox’s quick-paced direction. Mark Czoske as the Judge, Paul D’Addario as Satan, Liza Fernandez as Saint Monica, Benjamin Montague as El-Fayoumy and Michael Patrick Thornton as Judas were standouts. Guirgis’ vernacular may seem anti-religious to some but he smartly covers the conflicts between forgiveness, mercy and eternal damnation. The role of remorse plays heavily here. How our free fill and God’s love collide in Judas’ case makes for high drama. It is amazing how complicated religious dogma can be so entertaining. See The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for a unique religious and theatrical experience.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2008
Jeff Recommended
|
