Set in a time-bending, seriocomically imagined world between Heaven and Hell, Stephen Adly Gurgis’s ‘The Last Days of Judas Iscariot’ is a philosophical meditation on the conflict between divine mercy and human free will that takes a close look at the eternal damnation of the Bible’s most notorious sinner.
‘This piece is in essence a cosmic courtroom drama played out in some “downtown Purgatory” that bears a strong resemblance to the meanest neighbourhoods of New York.’ (Charles Spencer – The Telegraph)
‘What gives the play its life is that Guirgis handles big issues with comic flair. Simon the Zealot, for instance, recalls that, after the riot at the Temple, Jesus was ‘like, I’m going to die soon, so let’s just chill”. Guirgis is making a serious point: that, if betrayal is the ultimate sin, then forgivenss is the ultimate sign of grace.’ (Michael Billington – The Guardian)