The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

3 1/2 stars

“You were my heart.” / “Why didn't you make me good enough ... so that you could've loved me?”

JESUS sighs, takes off his shirt, plunges it in the bucket, rinses it, and begins to wash JUDAS feet. JESUS washes meticulously and with care. He washes. And washes. Perhaps the water is mixed with tears.

Honestly, I really wanted to like this. I'd heard really interesting things about it, and it explores a lot of interesting themes. But the problem is that despite the interesting themes, the jokes made were often either uncomfortable (ie: workplace harassment) or underwhelming. And when the problem wasn't the jokes not landing, it was simply the writing. I kept waiting for it to get to the good part, and before I knew it, the final monologue was happening and I sat there thinking “okay, and?” It feels almost unfinished in a way I can't really explain, but I really wish it didn't. I hoped for a lot from this play, and the fact I didn't get much from it at all was a let down.

Good. Fine. Decent.

I don't feel very invested in the paradoxes of Christianity - certainly not anymore. And, if I did, I think I'd read something like Ted Chiang's Hell Is the Absence of God (chef's kiss!!), or maybe Karen Armstrong's book on how Christianity kinda lost mysticism back in Medieval times and isn't that a shame, or maybe that angry atheist book whose title now eludes me (not by Dawkins and not by Hitchens).

This was fine. It's about the core paradoxes of Christianity, as embodied by Judas, as told in the kinda awkward early 2000s, ahem, cool slang. I skimmed the original cast list and saw that Sam Rockwell played (originated?) the role of Judas and, well, that kinda ruined it for me. I couldn't hear any other voice, see any other actor. Aw, damn. I don't love Sam Rockwell. He's fine. I loved him in Galaxy Quest (“man, I'm just jazzed about being on the show” - one of my go-to quotes). Here's a great trailer of one of his movies. Shrug!