'Last Days of Judas Iscariot' mixes comedy, philosophy

"The Last Days of Judas Iscariot," the latest onstage acid trip from Stray Cat Theatre, is also a cleverly executed bait-and-switch: Come for the blasphemy, stay for the philosophy.



With a cast of 15, this is an ambitious piece for a low-budget theater like Stray Cat, but artistic director Ron May and his actors deliver on both the comedy and the drama. The production's success is due in part to a partnership with Arizona State University's School of Theatre and Film, which offered up its entire cohort of first-year master's degree candidates. All seven of these young actors give impressive performances, especially Sabrina S. Scott, who's hands-down hilarious as Saint Monica, and Tyler Eglen as Judas, who spends most of the play semi-catatonic but delivers a cathartic climax.



Other highlights include Louis Farber as the cantankerous judge and Chelsea Pace's turn as a Mother Teresa with an eye for young male flesh. And then, of course, there's Dering's deliciously over-the-top Satan, who keeps his cool on the stand but throws the mother of all temper tantrums while the jury is on break.



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