Why do we get to be saved, but Judas doesn’t?’ Watching the run, I was certainly spurred to ask questions, and found myself repeatedly changing sides on certain debates as each new character made their case. Since Western culture is so informed by the idea of Jesus and Judas and the latter’s awful sin, it feels wrong not to ask questions about it. Sharma began with a reminder that Judas’ story being given a modern adaptation is hardly new, but that this one ‘strikes a balance between making light of its subject matter and really delving into it as a part of our national psychology, of our consciousness in general. I asked the cast what they thought was the most interesting way the show brings something new to Judas’ story. Each scene in the play stages a dialogue that in some way engages in philosophical and theological debate, but the play never fails to continue, fundamentally, to tell a story. Guirgis’ play is not short of ambition, and in his introduction he floats the question of ‘What is it that we need to overcome to truly be “Ourselves”?’. I watched a run-through rehearsal of the show, and sat down with cast members Christian Longstaff, Rishi Sharma and Jago Wainwright to talk about it.
As hellfire burns and Judas lingers in purgatory, a court case is about to be heard – did Judas commit an unforgiveable sin, or was he innocent all along? From the 19th to 20th November at 7pm, the Fitzpatrick Hall shall transform into that very courtroom for Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, directed by Louise Dai and Hannah Samuel-Ogbu, a play that combines entertainment with philosophy and grapples with human imperfection, forgiveness and culpability.
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