Hobo in the back row reviews: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (produced by The Wasatch Theater Company)
What is the nature of God’s love? The nature of damnation? Does Judas Iscariot deserve hell for betraying Jesus, particularly when theologically Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary for salvation?
These are the bulk of the questions that Wasatch Theater Company’s current production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis seek to answer. These are weighty questions and it is naturally a weighty script, not something that many directors, particularly in the state of Utah, would be willing to tackle. But tackle director Lucas Bybee does, and more importantly manages to pull off a well produced and gratifying theater experience. One that the audience will walk away from pondering their own mortality and actions.
While the philosophy is heavy at times the script itself never truly is. Observant audience members with a background in philosophy, theology, or psychology will catch references seemingly put in for them. A background in those fields of study are never a requirement though. Which is a good thing. If it were the script would quickly lose the audience in it’s two and a half hour run time.
The play opens with a heart wrenching monologue given by Tiffany Greathouse playing Judas Iscariot’s mother Henrietta Iscariot. Her performance is honest and sets up up the tone of the play nicely. It’s also during her monologue where we get our first glimpse of Jesus, played by a very subdued Brandon Sean Pearson. Little is seen of Jesus throughout the play, but his presence is always felt, and the moments he does appear work well for the drama of the piece.
We are then introduced to our setting by the angel Gloria (a charming performance by Natalie Keezer). The bulk of the production plays out in a courtroom in a modernized purgatory. Fabiana Aziza Cunningham (played confidently by Ana Lemke) a defense attorney has taken up the case to allow Judas Iscariot into purgatory, and has managed to win St. Monica (a fun performance by Paris Hawkins) to her cause. After getting a writ signed by God himself the case to moves forward begrudgingly in Judge Littlefield’s (played by Lee Daily) courtroom. Mr. Daily’s performance adds a nice counterpoint at times to the somberness that occurs later in the play. His back and forth with the Bailiff (played by Sam McGinnis) and the Prosecutor Yusef El-Fayoumy (played by Eric Leckman) adds some comic relief to help lighten the mood.
The play progresses as one would expect. Witnesses are called. There are flashbacks depicting instance in Judas Iscariot’s life. It has many of the things the audience would expect from a courtroom drama. There are particular performances that stood out: Mark Macey brought out a solid performance as Caiaphas the Elder. William Cooper Howe’s Satan was a joy to watch, particularly in the second act where it appears the devil was let off his leash, so to speak. Howe portrays Satan as the sort of guy you’d want to hang out with, but you’d know you’d regret doing it. Chris Harvey’s Pontius Pilate is another notable performance, the governor of Judea being portrayed in this instance as a mob boss. Mr. Harvey’s intensity overwhelmed the stage for the brief moment he was on it,
Several scenes stood out as well, particularly the final scene between Jesus (Brandon Sean Pearson) and Iscariot (Nick Diaz). Guirgis’ Jesus’ is written beautifully, and Mr. Pearson does the role a justice. Mr Diaz shines in this scene particularly. As does the final monologue by Butch Honeywell (Jared Greathouse) who is the foreman of the jury and has come to deliver the final verdict to Judas himself.
Sadly, in a play this large in scope, it’s hard to have consistent performances across the board, particularly when the actors are playing two or three parts. This isn't to say that there were terrible performances, there was not, however there were those who exceeded and surpassed the others in such a way that they simply overshadowed them. This is perhaps to be expected in such a massive production. And I only mentioned performances, or moments that stood out of a much larger production
Mr. Bybee manages to pull off a great evening of theater and kudos must be given to his cast and his production team who utilize the small space amazingly well. A play this large seems daunting in such a small space, but the set designer Danny Dunn and Mr. Bybee utilize the space in such a way that it never feels cluttered.
As for Judas Iscariot and how the jury rules in his case? Well you’ll have to find that out for yourself. There are two performances left check out Wasatch Theater Companies page for details and go here for tickets. If you're in Salt Lake this weekend, do yourself a favor and check out this show
*Warning, there is strong language in this production*
posted by F.G. Shaw @ 3:23 AM
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