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Could Judas Get A Fair Trial?
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Mary Deberry
May 10th 2009 |
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 The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, is enjoying its Rhode Island premier at The Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, RI now through May 23. Originally produced in New York in 2005, this brilliantly written, thought provoking play explores the “what if” scenario as it puts the Bible’s most notorious sinner, Judas Iscariot, on trial. Dark humor, great use of the space and lively characters abound. Many historical facts and Bible passages are quoted as a parade of famous witnesses from Sigmund Freud (Greg Barbon) to Mother Theresa (Emily Lewis) present their often conflicting testimony in this strange little corner of Purgatory called Hope.
It took the bright, young, talented producers of Breath Productions, Kevin Broccoli and Leann Heath to bring this fresh, surprising and possibly controversial project to Rhode Island for the first time. Theater audiences need to see new work.
Under the expert direction of veteran stage aficionado Bob Colonna, the actors fill the space with their energy and passion, often using the center aisle for entrances and exits. The company includes both seasoned and relatively new local actors. This was evident early on in the play as the level of confidence and polish in characterizations was a bit uneven. However, the clever writing and design of the piece keeps things flowing.
To demonstrate the high level of talent within the twenty actors, St. Matthew (Ed Nason) used his improv skill by smoothly scooping up my cane (which I had dropped on the floor) and used it to perfect effect in his monologue. Nason then deftly delivered it back into my hands.
Makeisha Horsley as St. Monica brought a very spicy and light-hearted take on her character to the mix. She was proud of her progeny St. Augustine, and she set us straight about a quiet and withdrawn, yet very human, Mary Magdalene (Samantha Acapora). St. Thomas (Erick Betancourt) and Simon the Zealot (Michael Kinnane) also brought plenty of comic relief as characters are allowed to speak in their “hip” and contemporary modes of speech.
There are three particular standouts in the cast that must be noted. They handled the lion’s share of dialog and performance on stage and were, by and large, the driving forces in the trial.
John Joseph Gomes as El-Fayoumy, lawyer for the prosecution, was enjoyably convincing as the fawning, brown-nosing, self-protective, self-righteous grand-stander in the courtroom. Gomes revealed his character’s weakness for the female form even shamelessly sniffing after Mother Theresa. Gomes sustained a consistent, high level of energy and enthusiasm in his role throughout the length of the play.
Also onstage non-stop was the lawyer for the defense, Fabiana Cunningham, played with a smoldering, yet not obvious, sensuality by Leann Heath. This was challenging since her outfit consisted of a plain black skirt suit with a white blouse. Nevertheless, all of the males on stage were clearly focused longingly in her direction. This gave her the advantage to articulately plead her case for her client, Judas.
Heath was the lone female with so much time on stage. But she held her own quite readily despite the loud and persistent scene-chewing protestations from the male characters on stage with her.
The third “lion” is Satan, played with verve by stage veteran Mark Carter. Called “Lou” (short for Lucifer) by Judge Littlefield (Andrew Holder), Satan has been through this all before and has some of the most interesting viewpoints about Judas. But is he lying? How can you tell? Carter cleverly plays the devil alternately as the snarling, evil animal that he is and the smooth-talking, friendly buddy he wants you to think he is, moving seamlessly from one end of the character’s “personality” to the other.
Rounding out the cast is producer Kevin Broccoli as Pontius Pilate, who also brought a strong presence to the stage. Sheila Grace faced the challenge of being the first actor on stage, alone, as Judas’ mother, Henrietta Iscariot. Ian and Paul Sauvageau played pivotal characters Judas and Jesus respectively with short, but important parts. Josh Christensen was the Bailiff for the courtroom and had an interesting monologue at the end of the play relating his own “sins” as compared to Judas’. Well-seasoned actors Matt Fraza as St. Peter and Burr Harrison as Caiaphas the Elder reminded the audience of the seriousness of the whole affair, despite the humorous moments sprinkled generously throughout the play.
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a production well worth your time. We are all at a point where we are looking for hope. The Hope Artiste Village is located at 1005 North Main Street, Pawtucket, RI. All performances at 8pm, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays. For tickets call 401-368-7689. |
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