Judas Iscariot Analysis

The UIC mainstage was transformed into a modern-day courtroom for the current production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Judas Iscariot was presented by the School of Theatre & Music and directed by the head of the UIC Theatre Department, Yasen Peyankov.
Judas Iscariot tells the story of a tumultuous court case to decide whether Judas Iscariot should go to hell. The play opens with Judas’s mother describing having to bury her only son alone and in “empty, acrid silence”(Guirgis, 2). The scene shifts to a twenty-first century courtroom in downtown Purgatory. We are introduced to Fabiana Cunnigham, Judas’s defense lawyer and to Yusef El-Fayoumy, the prosecutor. The judge denies Fabiana’s writ from Saint Peter and aruges
The play shows many central characters struggling with their faith. In the beginning of the play, Fabiana states “I don’t know if I believe in God” (Guirgis, 16). Later on, in the play, Satan reveals that Fabiana hides behind excuses to disguise her personal struggles with abortion, rape, suicide, and parental rejection. Her apparent miserable life made her question if there even was a God at all. This influenced her reactions to the jury members throughout the entire trial and in the end, she comes to the conclusion that “God’s love for us is conditional, which renders it false and unworthy” (Guirgis, 90). Another character who struggles with loss of faith is Judas. In the end when Jesus appears to him, he goes off saying “But me? Your heart? What about me? What about me Jesus? Where the fuck where you? I made a mistake. And if I was wrong you should have told me!” (Guirguis, 96). Judas was always there for Jesus, but when Judas needed Jesus he was nowhere to be found. Judas blames Jesus for breaking him unfixable. The moment Judas betrayed Jesus, he lost his purpose in life, because he lost his faith. Another character who is struggling with his faith would have to be Judge Littlefield. In the beginning of the play Fabiana points out to Littlefield that his papers into heaven have been pending since his death 1864. Later in the play, Satan tells Littlefield that he belongs in hell. This
The theatre was turned into a modern-day courtroom with marbled floors, two desks on either side of the stage, and a judge’s stand. The spectacle was introduced through ten columns (four on stage left, four stage right, and two upstage.) All the columns were lined with LED lights that were programmed to be different colors. The moment in which I believe the lights were most effective was in the end of the play. Satan leans up against a column and it illuminates red. It was such a simple, but beautiful trick that will be ingrained in my mind for