Brighton Fringe

28^th May – 27^th June, 2021

This cleverly planned out piece of script both took us by surprise and put us to rest. In 2021 so far things are still a little weird so celebrating with the Brighton Fringe is a good thing, in its own happiness. And as we were introduced to our gracious host, BeeJay Aubertin-Clinton, who would play the role of Judas from the bible story. From our introduction we were preparing to be shocked by an American man in makeup. Was this his taste or was it part of his compelling, well acted and well read character we saw before us.

In fact he came out with it and said in no uncertain terms I am in fact Judas and I am 2000 years old (or there about), but it’s a great pleasure to meet you. The story grew and Aubertins skills grew with it. After what I thought was a shaky start I was hooked by the time of his third line, and I revelled in the acting.

It was just him on a screen in a room though he said himself that live would have been better, but instead he prepared himself for essentially a one way zoom call. But I’m sure he saw the irony of that. His piercing eyes deepened as he recalled his tail with his friend and lover Jesus.

It came across as a beginner’s recitation and mockery of the religious inferences, but more fool me I was soon to be set straight. He came at us with these comedy vibes and sharpened one liners but his delivery was to handsomely scratch out a vision of Judas to which he included his own personally universal sidelines.

He had us thinking from the get go even as we did not realize it. His points of view were stirred to such an extent as to be in the grip of Jesus love, and wept for his stories ending. By this time he was Judas. Speaking about him with a capable knowledge of the whole story and in a way he found after all this time to feel desperately sad about it and simply broke down in front of us.

From his straightforwardness he affected us as he wept and shook with an assuredly king sized sense of being a real lover of Jesus whom he fancied very much and professed to have loved. The timing kept swinging around the face and stances of our sufferer but also lover. In a way he was shining light on things from the Bible and our collective experiences with the force of emotions behind it.

The story he told was a pure recognition and straight down the line telling that had human love at heart rather than performing a dull sermon (these don’t really have to be dull). His clothes gave of the sense of something with a little rebellion in them. He wore a bandana, a white under shirt and was dolled up with attractive make up.

Maybe one of things he was saying was to sometimes be aware of appearances that can and do mislead us. It all really came from the heart of the character/Apostle Judas as he told of his friend Jesus as he went through his miracles and humble footage. Aubertin’s own self was as he said in the hands of Jesus and he was very impressed with the messiah.

He smoothed the radical edges into the air in a kind of spiritual over riding principle of love’s eternal

passing. His pain was real, his joy was real. He told of a love of a friend to last the ages and bring us into service with each other. Man this was close to a sermon but also couldn’t have been further away from it.

He got the story right; the acting was a revelation in his voice he so well used in his declaration, where he claimed a position of power to tell a more truthful story. Of true power, as he would say a good blush on the cheeks. When he dropped big names (like God) he was sufficiently humble about it. Very clever satire, total submersion and total greatness come that ye may listen and be enjoyed.

Daniel Donnelly