Review - The Last days of Judas Iscariot

Did Judas Iscariot get a rough deal when his soul was condemned to hell for the apparent betrayal of Jesus Christ? NUIG DRAMSOC decided that he at least deserved another trial in their rendition of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot which was staged in the Bank of Ireland Theatre all last week. In this play, which was directed by Aron Hegarty,Judas' legal defence tease out the nature of betrayal and redemption in an attempt to save his soul from an eternity in hell. The court room drama is set in "Hope" and through cross examination and character witnesses (among them Mother Theresa, Sigmund Freud and Satan) defence attorney Cunningham (Caoimhe Mulcahy) battles it out with the hilarious womanising prosecutor El Fayoumi (Oisin Robbins). After a successful five night run which included two standing ovations, it has come as no surprise that the cast will be hitting the road to perform at this year's Irish Student Drama Association festival which takes place in Trinity College on the 22nd of March.

The overall direction of the play was no less than sublime with relatively novice performers comfortable with every inch of the stage. Hegarty's ability as a first time director to portray the basic message of the play without losing the comical foundation of the script was admiral.

An inexperienced cast battled with a dialogue driven plot vigorously but for the most part seemed to have it under control ,with Mulcahy's interaction with the charismatic Satan (Jarlath Tivnan) sure to set anyone into fits of laughter. ISDA nominated actor Tivnan, is sure to be one of the favourites when the award ceremony returns as his overall performance managed to both contain the growing intensity of the play while providing first class comedy .The emotion is built throughout and Emmet Byrne, who appeared on stage for the first time in November, seems to hold talent well beyond his experience as he is powerful in his role as Judas .

In a play that varied from the hilarious to the harrowing it is difficult to pinpoint a criticism but I will try to do so anyway... the men's toilets in the Bank of Ireland Theatre are badly in need of some toilet paper... That is my only complaint from the two hours spent enjoying a top class DramSoc presentation.

The Last days of Judas Iscariot is tipped to be one of the big winners at this year's ISDA awards and judging on last week's showing it shouldn't disappoint.

By Cian Murray