Novel Approach Breathes Life into UWM's 'Last Days'

The mists of limbo drifted across UW-Milwaukee's Mainstage Theatre, with Nicholas Callan Haubner visible behind a judge's bench high above the stage floor. Haubner portrayed a judge presiding over a trial that pitted an overzealous prosecutor (Max Hultquist) against a fiery, passionate defense attorney (Brittany Lee McDonald). Evan Koepnick sat motionless in a wheelchair near the center of it all, with a concise precision to his performance as the title character in UWM's The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Director Rebecca Holderness admirably pieced together the disparate elements of Stephen Adly Guirgis' playno easy task in a script featuring Sigmund Freud, Mother Teresa and Pontius Pilate.

With scenic designer R.H. Graham's courtroom cluttered with the musty debris from an eternity of stagnation, the setting took on a timeless feel that aided Holderness' ability to give the show a rich, eclectic essence. Max Kurkiewicz played St. Monica as a towering diva drag queen with plenty of attitude. St. Peter walked in waders and spoke in a northern Wisconsin accent.

A few elements didn't quite work. A dialogue between Koepnick and a prerecorded actor lacked emotional depth, and though Cheong-Hyeon Park gave a sensitive performance as Christ, his dialogue with Judas was robbed of its simple intensity due to the role being spoken in multiple languages. The novel approach worked best when it amplified the standard machinery of a courtroom drama. Hultquist and McDonald did a brilliant job of anchoring the production.

The most notable surprise in a very solid ensemble proved to be Marques Causey as Satan and Pontius Pilate. His style sparkled in a thoroughly memorable production. It's a pity the show only ran for five days.

UWM Theatre's next Mainstage production is the Musical No, No, Nanette,which runs May 4-8.