“The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” incisive biblical trial

STORRS — Once again the University of Connecticut has outdone itself with a stunning intelligent, incisive, and enlightening production of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, ” written by Stephen Adly Guirgis.
It is the story of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus to the Romans for 30 pieces of gold. Judas is in purgatory, a place of hope between Heaven and Hell, being tried in a court for his sins to see where he will end up for eternity.
During the court proceedings we get to see both sides of many people, some well known, like Mother Theresa, convincingly played by Laura A. Zabbo, and Sigmund Freud, well done by Harrison Greene.
We also see others on the witness stand who are known too, but perhaps not fully understood, like Pontius Pilate and Simon the Zealot, both by Darrell Hollens, and Caiaphas the Elder, played by Zane M. Roberts and Mary Magdalene, by Maggie Sulka.
Judas is uninterested in having his case heard, having become catatonic, but a defense attorney, Fabiana Aziza Cunningham, played with sharp intelligence and conviction by Brittany Murphy, believes he should have his day in court.
Arron Lloyd and Bryan Swormstedt play the role of Judas and Jesus on alternate nights. The night I attended, Lloyd was Judas and Swormstedt was Jesus, and both were excellent in their respective roles.
The fine Jack Fellows play the smarmy fawning prosecuting attorney, Yusef El-Fayoumy, with energy and grand buffoonery and wit.
Judas’ mother, Henrietta Iscarot, (Hanna Kaplan) opens the show with a heart-felt monologue about the death of her son, and explains heartache better than I have heard it in a long time. “My heart keeps beating only to keep breaking,” she says of her sad life.
Emotional connection is sometimes sacrificed with intellectual discourse, regardless of how passionate. Still, the actors jam bunches of energy and intensity into every line, and each line is clearly enunciated.
The ending, which I won’t reveal here, is deeply moving.
Tiffany Vinters is charming and disarming as the angel Gloria, talking about returning to earth to visit her living children. She tells us that hope changes with time, and these days hope is found in the judicial system — hence the format of the play.
Also excellent is Elizabeth R. McKnight as the hip Saint Monica, who says she is a nag of the first order, which is how she gets things done. She also reminds everyone repeatedly that she is the mother of Saint Augustine, the father of the church.
Monica is darkly humorous when she tries to get the catatonic Judas to speak, taunting him about getting change for 30 silver pieces, and going out on a limb, going to Olive Garden, asking him if he wants to have on last supper. Judas hung himself on the branch of an olive tree.
She and others use a lot of profanity, but probably no more than any PG-13 movie, making the show unsuitable for and probably uninteresting to very young children.
The devil, played by James M.K. Turner, is truly scary. Why Cunningham would have the hubris to cross-examine the devil is beyond me, and the experience ends up confounding and demoralizing both lawyers.
The devil’s shiny gray suit fits the character well, as do all the costumes, from the angel’s satin white dress to Gloria’s hip-hop outfit, by Elicia Lord.
The set is excellent, by Allison McGrath, with large blocks of progressively smaller size in the background, with space in between for the actors to enter. The lighting works in concert with the set, by Greg Purnell, with changing colors varying the set’s whole look.
The music ties the whole production together, amusingly playing Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine” when Freud, a known-addict, enters the stage. Sound design by Courtney Smith.
I particularly admired the beginning of both acts when the actors walk across the stage in a self-consciously stilted, stylized and seemingly arbitrarily manner, with thoughtful direction by the Kristin Wold.
“The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” is a massive undertaking delivered in a lively and compelling manner with intriguing style and flair.

THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT

4 Stars
Theater: Connecticut Repertory Theatre
Location: Studio Theatre, 802 Bolton Rd., Storrs
Production: Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Directed by Kristin Wold. Scenic design by Allison McGrath. Costume design by Elicia Lord. Lighting Design by Greg Purnell. Sound design by Courtney Smith. Technical direction by Gordon Sanfacon. Fight choreographer Greg Webster. Stage manager Tamsen Brooke Warner. Voice and text coach David A. Stern. Dramaturg Elysse Yulo.
Running time: 3 hours with one intermission.
Show Times: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Sunday.
Tickets: General admission from $26 to $29. Call 860-486-4226 or visit their website at www.crt.uconn.edu.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Brittany Green … Fabiana Aziza Cunningham
Jack Fellows … Yusef El-Fayoumy
Zane M. Roberts … Judge Littlefield, St. Matthew, Caiaphas the Elder
Arron Lloyd, Bryan Swormstedt … Judas Iscariot, Jesus
James M.K. Turner … Satan
Desmond Thorne … Bailiff, Matthias, St. Peter, Soldier
Elizabeth R. McKnight … St. Monica, Soldier
Hannah Kaplan … Henrietta Iscariot
Tiffany Vinters … Gloria
Maggie Sulka … Loretta, Sister Glenna, Mary Magdalene
Harrison Greene … Uncle Pino, Freud, St. Thomas, Soldier
Joseph Jonah Therrien … Butch Honeywell
Laura A. Zabbo … Mother Teresa
Darrell Hollens … Simon the Zealot, Pontius Pilate