The Last Days of Judas Iscariot Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Judas" is a restlessly smart and fiercely articulate drama that probes a key fault line in American political and judicial realities—the endless battle between originalist interpretations of great documents and relativist, adaptive thinking. They fight over that stuff at the Supreme Court."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"...Much of the credit goes to Guirgis, who combines philosophical musings and Christian tenets with legalese and urban slang in a heady, fiercely written tragi-comedy, the hard edges of which don't entirely obscure its tender heart. Centered around the familiar conundrum -- if God is all powerful and merciful, why does he allow suffering? -- "Judas Iscariot" asks tough questions. And the answers aren't always pleasant. Yet the play is never less than riveting, thanks to the nearly two dozen dynamic characters, among them a gum-smacking saint, radical apostle, cigarette-addicted angel and a fisher of men who misses being out on his boat. And while Guirgis doesn't give them equal stage time, he rewards at least 20 characters with meaty monologues."

SouthtownStar - Not Recommended

"...While Adly Guirgis has overstuffed this play with a long list of historical characters and lots of historical references, everyone keeps beating the same refrain that Christian theology suffers contradictions. After a while, the constant repetition becomes tiresome, and the two-hour-and-45-minute show begins to feel hellish."

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Guirgis's juridical ordering of the afterlife is well imagined and his playful way with Christian orthodoxy is entertaining, but the seemingly endless parade of long-winded witnesses grows tiresome and dilutes the play's emotional impact. Kevin Christopher Fox's lively production for the Gift Theatre ably mixes the biblical and the contemporary. As Judas, Michael Patrick Thornton movingly conveys the burdens of playing Christianity's scapegoat."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...With a cast of 16 playing almost twice as many characters, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a wildly ambitious piece of work for a tiny storefront such as the Gift, yet they pull it off with a mighty passion and humanity. As Judas' trial unfolds in a corner of Purgatory called hope, the piece flies by as everyone from Sigmund Freud to Caiaphas the Elder (Mark Czoske, whose astounding turn on the witness stand stands as one of the most angry, intense and astonishing monologues of the season) and Satan (Paul D'Addario in an award-worthy devilishly fine turn) take the stand."

Chicago Free Press - Recommended

"...The entire cast delivers with a fervent and comically acute power. Michael Patrick Thornton’s Judas is a poetic study of stillness. Meanwhile, he embellishes Iscariot’s flashback moments with an amusing slacker-ready vibe. As Judas’ primary defense, Fabiana Cunningham, Kathleen Logelin delivers with a tartness underscored by immense heartache. Benjamin Montague, as the over-the-top prosecutor El-Fayoumy, provides the show’s energetic center. He delights with a skilled readiness and a finely tuned charismatic glow. Lindsey Pearlman’s Mother Teresa is an ingenious creation of twisted mythology and Emanueal Buckley practically scorches the stage with his fevered Pilate. Paul D’Addario’s Satan is both slickly funny and unimaginably bone-chilling. Liza Fernandez’s Saint Monica and Mark Czoske’s Caiaphas the Elder are also brilliantly imagined."

Gay Chicago Magazine - Recommended

"...The venue itself could have easily put constraints on such a production but the stage direction of Kevin Christopher Fox is to be applauded as behind the stage and entrance lobby were utilized in a very entertaining fashion. A modest set design and creative lighting allowed for clear representations of heaven and hell that balanced the court room representation of Purgatory. The scene transitions were impressive because the actors played well off one another when comic relief was needed."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"...Though the play could easily devolve into a scenery-chewing mess, Fox, an actor-director adept at coaxing strong performances, makes a fine match. Standouts in the cast of 15 include Kathleen Logelin as a driven purgatory defense attorney who takes on Judas’s case for her own reasons; Benjamin Montague as her oily, over-flattering opponent; and Michael Patrick Thornton as Judas, who radiates misery without moving a muscle."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...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."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended

"...Michael Patrick Thornton seems to have an impeccable handle on the heart of Judas. Though others scurry about to help him and guarantee his soul, he seems to have given up all hope. At least until he meets Paul D’Addario, an actor to keep any eye on, as Satan. He saunters in with all the style and panache of Frank Sinatra and the icy steel of Paul Newman. As the witnesses are called, most memorable is a flawless performance by Lindsey Peaerlman as Mother Theresa."