The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Undoubtedly, in a good many circles, he's the most despised man in history. He had the "evility" to betray That Man. No one outside the realm of "evil-dom" would, could betray Jesus, the Son of God. So little is known about Judas. So who cares? He betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, and that's all that matters.

Really?

Stephen Aldy Guirgis decided differently. Plummeting into curious imagination, he penned his poignant play, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. The time: Now. The place: Purgatory. Trials take place day after day to determine if the soul goes to Heaven or Hell.

Keith Boos as Satan, Michael Houle von Behren as El-Fayoumy, Jackson Lambert as the Baliff, and Matt Leher as Judge Littlefield in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at Littleton High School. Photos by Faryn Tobler.

Produced by the Senior Theatre Company of Littleton High School, the tragedy is that they had only one weekend of performances, April 15-17, 2010. Under the astute direction of Cody Ulrich, assisted by Emma Gift, the seniors offered a performance to knock the wind out of the lung's sails. This had to be a joke. These weren't high school seniors; a touring group snuck in and "impostered" the scheme.

Not true. I met them, and high school seniors they are with a passion for quality, a comprehension beyond their years, and recognition for technical perfection. The production knocked me out.

In a soft light, in the middle of the stage, a tearful woman sits on the ground knowing she is the only one concerned about her son. She was the one who found his body in the dessert. She was the one who buried him. No one else cared. Tied up in emotional grief she remembers the baby born to her, the small child sharing a beloved spinning top with a littler boy who didn't have one, and couldn't get one. Judas? This was Judas? History will never reveal if he had a coveted spinning top, but the playwright wants his audience to know he was human. He had a devoted mother, and maybe, just maybe there is more to the story than what Scriptures reveal.

What was far more fetching than these ideas was that Morgan Schoob takes on Henrietta Iscariot with a depth of comprehension of a mother losing a child to suicide, with a mother facing the reality her son, a man, would become the most hated man in history. What? Judas wasn't a monster? What? Judas was a human being? Schoob succeeds in bringing to life a woman history never cared to record. She sets the pace and sets the tone of a play laced with dark, black humor nudging life-blooded molecules to jump because this isn't suppose to be funny, but humorous moments honestly creep into the scenarios. Some of the humor flits with down right raunchy. For this to read, and read correctly, the timing has to be perfected. No premature giggles, no sign of nervousness, no signals that here comes a funny raunchy line.

Just a straight line as a street person would flip it off without a second thought. For Saint Monica, Sam Scotti does just that. With wings attached, indicating her "angelness", the smart talking, and attitude endowed saint flaunts her street smarts, delighting the audience, while digging into her point of view.

In the present time, the play reflects cultural tones without apology. Time and space melt into the Now. Guirgis sees to it that no one can write off the premise of the play by pushing it back into the far reaches of history.

The set designed by Schuyler Burks features a tall bench for Judge Littlefield with two benches on either side, and desks and high faluting chairs (designed by Burks) for the Defense and Prosecuting Attorneys. Three large stained glass off-center windows hang on the back wall. Three? The one in the middle larger than the other two? A symbol of the crucifixion? It smarts.

Not only is the play thought provoking and mind bending, these high school seniors demonstrated a grasp of what they are doing and why. They grabbed onto this play with skilled passion, and not once, not even for one second. did anyone ease up on the demanding energy during the two and a half hour production.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at Littleton High School. Photos by Faryn Tobler.

Matt Lehr created a grumbling, grouchy, overworked exasperated judge. Of course he's tired facing case after case after case. "Next case," he barked. No we're not wasting our time on Judas Iscariot. "Next case," his gravely voice barked again.

Defense Attorney, Fabiana Aziza Cunningham waves a writ signed by God. Littlefield insists it must be a fraud. Ana Bell throws herself into the long-legged, sultry-teasing agnostic Cunningham coolly defending her client while chewing on gummy worms and apples. As grouchily barking as Littlefield is, his tongue hangs out over the saucy temptress displaying her legs across her desk while Prosecuting Attorney El Fayoumy tries to concentrate on proving Judas deserves to be condemned to Hell. With arrogant struts around the courtroom, and smug obnoxious lawyer-type confidence, Michael Houle von Behren fed El Fayoumy with unrestrained ambition partly to impress the jury, partly to interest the judge, and partly to gain Cunningham's attention.

Both Cunningham and El Fayoumy parade class act witnesses. Jared Granato not only plays the role of Matthew, but also takes on Sigmund Freud with style. Ali Follett not only plays Matthias, but also provides an admirable translation for the hard-of-hearing Mother Teresa. For the most part the witnesses see the big picture; finding reason to condemn Judas comes hard.

Caiaphas the Elder reveals his political world as his job catches him between the devil and the deep blue sea. Speaking of the devil, Keith Boos takes on both parts with wondrous division. Dressed in a red suit, Cunningham wanted to know where his horns and tails were, "Probably at the dry cleaners", he casually answered. Of course, there's a laugh. His timing impeccable. This red-suited devil slid around the floor with quick-witted smiles, and punctuated choreographed moves. Posing, sharpening his smile, Satan made it clear he doesn't believe in good or bad. He believes in truth, admitting he loves God "because God loves me". What a concept.

As the Bailiff, Jackson Lambert took what could be considered a small part, and turned it into an eye-capture. Incorporating small moves and reactions. Lambert's interpretation should become a classic for new actors working with small parts. On stage most of the time, Lambert keeps the Bailiff busy. Not enough to steal scenes, but close. It was difficult to keep the eyes off of him because he had immersed himself so deeply into the role. His reactions were lean honest, and deliberate.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at Littleton High School. Photos by Faryn Tobler.

In juxtaposition to the courtroom frenzy, on the sidelines Gloria appears. She earned her wings from working in Hope. Hope, the corner of Purgatory where the trials take place becomes more than a concept. Able to fly back and forth to earth, she watches over her family. Now Hope is a frenzied courtroom deciding the fate of souls. Anne Thomas wears Gloria's wings with solidified acknowledgement that moved beyond petty emotional judgments.

Flashbacks appear on the sides of the stage turning this play into a technical difficult production. During the flashbacks, the courtroom freezes under soft spots. Not once did I see anyone in the frozen position move an inch. Freezing into place for a couple of seconds requires concentration, but freezing with arms outstretched, or hands held up for several minutes, requires determined concentration, expected from the pros. These characters in the courtroom were astonishing. Even with the Bailiff standing, not once did Lambert shift his weight. I saw high school seniors accomplish "characterizational" tasks that I have seen pros blow. Frozen positions sometimes lend themselves toward loss of character. Not once. Not for one second did a character slip into oblivion.

For most of the production Judas, magnificently played by Josiah Prezkuta, lay crumpled on the side of the stage in catatonic despair. He never once caved from this incredible demand. He wasn't just a body on stage. He was a crumpled man in tormented despair. Prezkuta made me feel the pain, the agony churning inside this man. That takes an actor who knows what he's doing, and understands it.

Faryn Tobler played three roles, Loretta, Sister Glenna, and Mary Magdalene. Her beautiful interpretation of Magdalene shone with a human brightness. Tobler owned Guirgis' words for Magdalene, a woman who understood what some thought of her, and down through history what many still claim her to be, a prostitute, Here stands a woman who held a special relationship with Jesus, treasured it, understood it, and understood the people around her, Judas in particular.

The climate so different from today. The culture so different. The attitudes so different. And yet with human nature being what it is, so very much he same.

Tandy Larson as Pontius Pilot played into that role with a vengeance, giving a breath-taking performance tying the then and now closer together than what two thousand years could possibly do. Guirgis' words for Pilot became Larson's. He owned Pontius Pilot. The correlation he sees between himself and Judas was mind numbing. A correlation? Larson's intensity stiffened the spine.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at Littleton High School. Photos by Faryn Tobler.

Hovering over Judas in his crumpled state of being, Is Jesus played by Colin Behnke. Something there was about his appearance, his reaching out, his being there that turned the illusion into a striking poignant moment. It reads. History chooses to hate Judas, but Jesus understands the why and wherefores and loves him. Behnke brought that across with striking blows, reminding the audience that when Jesus said he loved everyone he meant it. At the end, in a calm, strong, gentle voice under a bright spot Jesus speaks for himself that his love isn't just for certain people, people we like, people who thrill us, but he loves everyone including those who hate Judas, including those who want to condemn him to Hell, including those who are different, including those who stand against. A powerful speech with heartrending thrusts delivered by a senior actor who owned his character. "If you hate who I love, you don't love me." He speaks with conviction.

Boos' charismatic antics as Satan took center stage as he punctuated his sharp words with grace. In the last few minutes Boos changed costumes, and demeanors, appearing to Judas as Butch Honeywell, an everyday, contemporary young man with an important story to tell. If only Judas would listen. If only Judas could hear him. He can't.

Jordan Anthony designed the strikingly effective lighting assisted by Nick Riley, Jackson Swartz, Trevor Wilson, and Ashleigh Cullen.

The sometimes-eerie sound system was designed by Ulrich, and Houle von Behren.

Schoob, Larson, Alex Wood, Michaela Larson, Mariah White. Hannah Jones, Kelli Brewster, and Rachel Riley designed and arranged the costumes showing creative ingenuity that defined the characters and fit the actor.

The passion of the crew shone as brightly as the passion of the actors.

For a powerful piece of work, for powerful and dead-centered characterizations, for technical aspects requiring a tremendous amount of concentration, these seniors proved their talent goes far and above what one normally expects from high school seniors. They totally knocked me out. They set the bar high for upcoming classes, and they have set the bar high for themselves.

This will not be a production I will soon forget. This will not be a production I will want to forget. These are actors with a strong sense of what it takes to disappear into the realm of characterizations. Both the cast and the crew have set the bar high for Littleton High. They set the bar high for themselves. Would they could bring to life The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for a longer run. Maybe, someday they will.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
Produced by the Senior Theatre Company of Littleton High School
Directed of Cody Ulrich; assisted by Emma Gift