“Judgement Day” Found to be Fabulous

By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel

Chicago Shakespeare’s stellar production of the very delightful artistic work Judgement Day, staring Tony and Emmy award-winning Jason Alexander, is a literal laugh-a-minute, side-splitting comedy. Mr. Alexander is absolutely brilliant with impeccable comic timing, believable tender moments, and enormous stage presence. A cute office moment with a mom, daughter, and their cat is one of the numerous great bits he excels in. There are times when television actors don’t lend themselves well to the stage, but Jason pulls it off beautifully, commanding the stage, projecting well, and giving a flawless performance; he is a quite simply comedic genius.

The play itself is hilarious, well written, and artfully directed. Just the idea of a ruthless, mostly unethical attorney on a quest to enter heaven on a point system, and a Catholic priest that is struggling with his own faith teaming up to assist an elderly parishioner is enormously funny and this unlikely pair never disappoints the audience. Alexander’s character Sammy Campo has amazing rapport with Father Michael, played fabulously by the the very talented Daniel Breaker. The confessional scenes are exceptionally humorous, with Michael Kostroff as the Monsignor, who has a twinkle in his eye and marvelous energetic prowess. You don’t need to be Catholic to enjoy the amusement.

The rest if the cast is just as wonderful, including Ellis Myers, who brings to life the character of the young son Casper. This gifted young man is professional beyond his years. He appeared in the lobby after the performance in a classy tuxedo, greeting theater goers with an engaging smile, a true star in the making. Maggie Bofill and Olivia Denise Dawson, playing the estranged wife and secretary of Sammy, respectively, both give very believe performances as feisty and put upon women dealing with the same bothersome male. Candy Buckley portrays a former nun, now an angel, and she is no ordinary celestial being – sharply played but not over the top.  The elderly client Edna (Meg Thalken) is delightful, amusing and adorable. Interactions with a cruel insurance adjuster, nicely portrayed by Joe Dempsey, have hilarious results.

As always, the sets are stunning, especially the stained glass church and lawyer’s office. Costumes are well done and understated. I especially enjoyed the lighting – it adds an illuminating touch to the stage at appropriate moments, as does the excellent sound design. A good hearted charitable priest questioning the very existence of a supreme being and a very intelligent litigator who makes a very strong case that God certainly exists, is an awesome inspiring story line, well crafted and entertaining.

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