The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Description

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a hilarious and extraordinary courtroom drama where history's most infamous betrayal is dissected by the forces of good and evil. Published to coincide with the European premiere at the Almeida Theatre, London, from 29 March - 10 May 2008, this is the third play by Guirgis on the Methuen Drama list and follows the critical success of In Arabia We'd All be Kings, and Jesus Hopped the A-Train. Figures such as Pontious Pilate, Mother Theresa and Sigmund Freud are called to testify in a trial of God, the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth versus Judas Iscariot in a court that owes as much to the ghetto as the Gospels. Stephen Adly Guirgis uses the violent, chaotic energy of New York City to explore the timeless questions of free will and responsibility; of faith and fate.

Stephen Adly Guirgis is the natural heir to American writers Sam Shepherd and Paul Schrader. A longtime member of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's New York LAByrinth Theatre Company, he is best known for his critically acclaimed Jesus Hopped the A-Train (Donmar Warehouse, West End and Off Broadway), and In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Hampstead Theatre).

'It's hard to know where to begin with this astonishing play that knocked me for six at the Almeida last night' Daily Telegraph - Charles Spencer 'A gloriously intoxicating brew' Guardian - Michael Billington 'This extraordinary, comic and gripping theological courtroom drama is surely going to be on the shortlist for Best New Play of the Year' Independent on Sunday - Kate Bassett 'It is a must-see play of the moment, bursting with big ideas and a healthy scepticism' Sunday Express - Mark Shenton 'Gould relishes Guirgis' theatrical energy and ability to pull a surprise' Time Out London - Jane Edwardes