The play's format, which really focuses on a series of monologues and duologues - offers a complete focus on the individuals . Director Chari Arespocachaga, who also staged Short North Stages 2020 area premiere of Guirgis The (Expletive) with the Hat, again knits together a well-paced production that scores with edgy insights and dark humor. At a glance Short North. Qty: Full Length, Drama 4 men, 1 woman Total Cast: 5, Flexible Set ISBN-13: 978--8222-1799-2. father stabbed someone at a dance when she was younger, but, In Rikers, Angel meets Lucius [20], Last edited on 30 December 2022, at 16:19, "Hoffman Directs Original Cast of Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train for June 22 Reading", "Review: Its Law vs. Order in Jesus Hopped the A Train", "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train Extends at Signature Theatre", "Signatures Jesus Hopped the A Train Delayed Two Days Following Departure of Reg E. Cathey", "Australian Stage Online - Jesus Hopped the A Train", "THEATER REVIEW - Locked Up In a Place Far Beyond Redemption", "The Great Work Continues: The 25 Best American Plays Since 'Angels in America', "Jesus Hopped the A Train, Donmar Warehouse, London", "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train review faith and horror on Rikers Island", "Review: Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train brings a poetic and profane playwright to Soulpepper", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jesus_Hopped_the_%27A%27_Train&oldid=1130526120, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 16:19. . Jesus Hopped the A Train is a . Equitys contracts prohibit discrimination. Set in a US penitentiary - where Magda Willi's stage design could literally squeeze the life out of newly arrived prisoner Puerto Rican Angel Cruz - Kate Hewitt's production of Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train shines a new light on the religious debates that have come to define this critically acclaimed play.Angel is brought to Rikers Island pending a court case for shooting Rev Kim, a . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train plays through April 21st at the SF Playhouse, 533 Sutter St, San Francisco. The play is full of monologues that function to articulate each character's values, very much like back in Sophocles' day, and the directors' decision to stage the play in the round magnifies the standing and authority of each such magnificent speech. Stephen Adly Guirgis' critical and hilarious examination o. Both are in protective custody and must spend their one-hour of outside time locked in individual pens. Whereas other productions have enclosed the action in The performance by Williams was understated but effective and led to one of the most compelling scenes, where D'Amico is describing Lucius' execution. That is exactly where Mr. Guirgis, who won a 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Between Riverside and Crazy, wants us: in a confused crouch that renders us vulnerable to deeper questioning. Search the history of over 797 billion Jeff. society, are remarkabl. Best of all is Velazcos touching recounting of a youthful near-death incident that satisfyingly clarifies the plays title as religious metaphor. But Mark Brokaws staging on a simple set by Riccardo Hernandez, sensitively lit by Scott Zielinski, is otherwise evenhanded and clean, as if not wanting to leave any fingerprints. Hes a violent, racist jerk and not much else, although casting Hall in the role does give it some interesting subtext. Where: Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Tickets: $30 at 773-935-6875 or www.eclipsetheatre.com. One of the most striking things about Soulpepper's Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is how multi-dimensional its main characters are. other. He's also suspicious and angry toward Mary Jane (Elizabeth Birnkrant), the public defender who sees in Angel's defiant attitude flashes of her own past as an angry "charity case" in a private school with a drunken father. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial . But youd be wrong. Thirty-year-old Angel Cruz (Xavier Lopez) has just been thrown in Riker's Island prison, the notorious institution on New York City's East River. Creative_Project (1).docx. Read 26 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Jesus Hopped the A Train Barbara and Scott Siegel New York City December 26, 2000 John Ortiz is Angel Cruz in Jesus Hopped The A Train (Photo: Jamie Mullians) Stephen Adly Guirgis, whose In Arabia,. who are written to mostly speak through direct-address. Some prisoners go out of their minds when confined to the 23-hour isolation wing of Rikers Island prison. Anyone can read what you share. The opening joke is not, therefore, cheap. (played with methodical control by Dervla Kirwan) takes a liking to him and Angel Cruz and Lucius Jenkins face murder charges. (Arthur Williams III), an older man who shows him kindness and seeks to show him the way to Jesus's love. Jesus Hopped The A Trainquestions the legal and penal systems in the US and offers a stark reflection on how the law struggles to deal with the complexities of the human . Dont be a God-fearing man, Valdez warns Lucius, be a Valdez-fearing man.. In the Signature Theater revival of Stephen Adly Guirgis' "Jesus Hopped the A Train . Playing the charismatic older convict, Lucius a self-proclaimed child of god who has killed six people Jones is a live coal onstage. , albeit in separate chain-link cages. But before that, you can dip into his earlier work with Eclipse Theatre Company's "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train," the first entry in the company's all-Guirgis season. Angel, on the other hand, acquires the nickname of Droopy Dog. Email auditions@actorsexpress.com if you have questions. The other actors do fine with their characters, who are written to mostly speak through direct-address. October 23, 2017. These near-monologues are often gorgeous, but they can also be weirdly self-negating; in 'A' Train, they don't even always make sense. Set inside Rikers Island, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train follows Angel . Added to the mix are Lucius Jenkins, a serial killer turned born-again Christian, and Valdez, a sadistic corrections officer. Collective Consciousness Theatre's "Jesus Hopped The A Train" by Stephen Adly Guirgis runs through November 11 at Erector Square (319 Peck Street, Building 6S) in New Haven, CT. "Jesus," directed by Dexter J. Singleton and produced by Jenny Nelson, stars Jhulenty . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is at the Young Vic until . Signature Theater; 294 seats; $65 top. on the Internet. But when the Reverend dies in hospital, Angel lands in solitary confinement next to Lucius, a card-carrying Christian serial-killer. Their monologues are all interesting, at least, but Guirgis was mainly interested in having Angel and Lucius debate. Good cop is D'Amico (a warm and sturdy Robert Heinly), who exemplifies kind-hearted compassion. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! . (Kevin Scott's grimy set and Kevin Hagan's harsh lighting capture the joyless world of the jail yard.). While the sermonic Lucius speaks of redemption before God, of renouncing darkness and embracing salvation, the early interactions between client and lawyer feel underweight in comparison. Uploaded by Jesus beautifully toys with that idea, like in Mary Janes monologue about her alcoholic father. Earley Dean capably conveys the redemptive Christian spirituality, manic energy and residue of mental problems of Lucius Jenkins, a serial killer on Death Row trying to make a positive impact before hes gone. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. Angel Cruz is a young Puerto Rican man incarcerated for shooting a cult leader after said person stole his best friend. Playing Lucius Jenkins, a fellow inmate convicted of murdering eight people, Riggins delivers the kind of . Lucius Jenkins - (40's/50's/Black) He is a charismatic, confident convicted serial killer but he has . But the audience also hears stories of childhood friendships and complicated . . If you dont have access to a reader, please present a monologue in the style of the show. With some bravado, Angel insists that what he did was therefore only technically wrong. Performances: Wednesday-Saturday 8:00 pm; Please note that Actors Express has committed to five-day work weeks. Scotiabank Rising Teammates, Hes angry, lonely, frustrated and struggling with his faith/spirituality. HB Studio. Angel Cruz John Ortiz Valdez David Zayas Mary Jane Hanrahan Elizabeth Canavan D'Amico Salvatore Inzerillo Lucius Jenkins Ron Cephas Jones Jesus Hopped the `A' Train" arrives at the 13th Street Theater with all the trappings of a grass-roots Off Broadway hit: a dollop of street credibility in the person of its brooding leading man, John Ortiz . Review of Jesus Hopped the A Train, Collective Consciousness Theatre . Pirie has a resume of fine acting longer than Lucius' rap sheet, and it shows. glass, to create the sense that characters might be talking to, arguing with, (Kevin Greene) Soulpepper Theatre presents Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, a graphic and distressing story of two prison inmates serving time for murder. Good versus evil. "Our Father, who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name . View Jesus_Hopped_the_A_Train from THE 100 at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College. He then mercilessly exploits that vulnerability by adding a contrasting pair of guards to the mix: one, named Charlie, a good-natured patsy; the other, Valdez, a by-the-rules sadist. Thats astonishing, as their roles are killers in more ways than one. No wonder its so profane. Lucius and Angel act as spiritual foils. What about my victimization? A moment where things come into complete focus is a late monologue by a prison guard whose soft spot for Lucius cost him his job: with perfectly calibrated delivery, Gregory Prest delivers a . Be the first one to, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Prisons -- New York (State) -- New York -- Drama, urn:lcp:jesushoppedatrai0000guir_y8m1:lcpdf:c385346e-d259-4dec-814e-689ba64dc1b7, urn:lcp:jesushoppedatrai0000guir_y8m1:epub:4d85c109-bfbb-49e0-ade3-a74c2a2e37c1, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). Runs to February 23 at The Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto's Historic Distillery District in the Michael Young Theatre, 50 Tank House Lane. Part investigation of our broken criminal justice system, part examination of the corruptive influence of Judeo-Christian morality, "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" is a promising [4][5][6] The original cast included Salvatore Inzerillo, John Ortiz, and David Zayas, Ron Cephas Jones, and Elizabeth Canavan.[4]. Willis design are deceptively simple. THE COVID-19 MONOLOGUES; . Part investigation of our broken criminal justice system, part examination of the corruptive influence of Judeo-Christian morality, "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" is a promising start to Eclipse Theatre . Gathegi. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is a play written by Stephen Adly Guirgis. "[19] J. Kelly Nestruck of The Globe and Mail awarded it three and a half out of four stars in 2020, calling it "skillfully structured so that the audiences sympathies see-saw back and forth between" Lucius and Valdez. Angel Cruz, a poor Puerto Rican, isn't sure why he's in jail after shooting Reverend Kim, the born-again Christian who brainwashed his best friend. These scenes are separated by blackouts and a . . Relying heavily on the attorney's direct address monologues, the entire subject seems to be one Guirgis feels the need to include, but never finds a way to integrate. Angel's desperate desire for assurance and forgiveness make him, in a weird way, immediately lovable. "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" arrives at the 13th Street Theater with all the trappings of a grass-roots Off Broadway hit: a dollop of street credibility in the person of its brooding leading man . New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. White, polished and put-together, Mary Jane dug herself out of a childhood filled with violence and poverty while Lucius succumbed to mental illness and hard drugs. Playing Lucius Jenkins, a fellow inmate convicted of murdering eight people, Riggins delivers the kind of bravura performance that makes you lean in closer to not miss a single syllable. Lucius has found God and been born again, and now, Angel's life and the course of his trial will be changed forever. Start: Hail MaryHail MaryHail Mary Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall. Jesus_Hopped_A . Lucius has been convicted of eight sadistic murders and is awaiting extradition to . "[14], In a review of one of Guirgis's later works, Hilton Als described Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train as "hysterical and irreverent", "an outstanding 2000 piece about imprisonment and moral responsibility. . Jesus Hopped the "A" Train by Kerry Reid March 14, 2002 August 19, . Rehearsals and performances held indoors at Actors Express. Search all monologues. "fire-breathing[a] probing, intense portrait of . Reviewed . Then one day they get talking. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train plays through October 8, 2017, at 1st Stage - 1524 Spring Hill Road, in Tysons, VA. For tickets, call the box office at (703) 854-1856, or purchase them online. There in the next cage is Lucius Jenkins, a serial murderer and self-described paranoid schizophrenic trying to avoid extradition to Florida and probable execution there. Still, they're full of rhetorical fireworks. Pursuant to Equity guidelines, proof of full vaccination no later than two weeks prior to in person work is a required condition of employment. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is a multi-layered discussion about morality in all its forms and how the artificiality of prison with its removal of humanity and, perhaps quaint, concept of punishment, challenges concepts of responsibility and redemption. Reverend Kim, a Lexus-driving cult leader who's sucked in Angel's childhood friend, Joey. . Rather it is Mr. Guirgiss tip-off that what may look like a genre play a legal procedural is going to consider Gods justice as well as mans. Much of it also seems unneeded and diverting. Oct. 23, 2017. The opening monologue, in which Angel struggles to say the Lords Prayer but repeatedly mangles it, is so packed with frustrated profanities that it evokes David Mamets extremes. 14 day loan required to access PDF files. . To see it in such an intimate black box in the middle of an energetic and well-thought-out production for $25 a ticket feels, in you pardon the joke, like a crime. Billington quipped that Angel's final sacrificial gesture "smacks more of romantic fiction than spiritual redemption [] I enjoyed the production without fully believing in Guirgis's vision of crime and punishment. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. In one of the plays strongest and most sobering moments, Lucius rails against this saying Was it my free will to be abused and violated from the age a five? Seeking 2 Actor Team for Spring Perhaps the most stirring monologue of the play comes from . JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN by Stephen Adly Guirgis . Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is a play written by Stephen Adly Guirgis . Im juss a Black Plague! [17], Michael Billington of The Guardian, who had given the play three out of five stars in 2002,[18] gave the same rating after a 2019 performance and said that "for all the vividness of the dialogue, the play still strikes me as baffling in its exploration of guilt, faith and redemption." Backed up by wonderful performances all around especially McCarthy who does heart-breaking and detailed work as Mary Jane Jesus is the kind of tough, uncompromising theater that is as philosophically engaging as it is emotionally and theatrically. We see Angels first night behind bars, trying in vain to remember the Lords Prayer (Our Father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is a brilliant, visceral examination of morality and justice, questioning the difference between true faith and self-serving religion. House of Actors is proud to present "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train". Jesus Hopped The A Train . Lucius Jenkins. He has rightly focused instead on shaping the cast into a superlative ensemble despite a series of setbacks: Both Mr. Carvajal and Mr. Gathegi, who are excellent, were late replacements. He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. Lucius Jenkins, a.k.a. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. But the audience also hears stories of childhood friendships and complicated . Lucius is also a serial killer, a self-described paranoid schizophrenic who employs his charms on . Their monologues are all interesting, at least, but Guirgis was mainly interested in having Angel and Lucius debate. The first, Charlie D'Amico (Erick Betancourt), is soon fired for doing a variety of favors for Lucius. I particularly liked the way you could see reflections in the But Nieves' resonant performance negotiates the line between adolescence and adulthood, faith and nihilism and other boundaries that cage in Angel's soul as surely as the Rikers walls encase his body. Stephen Adly Guirgis. Plot synopsis. On his first night at Rikers Island, a terrified inmate named Angel Cruz tries to reconstruct the Lords Prayer from his broken memories. [7] It was nominated for the Olivier Award, Best New Play for 2003.[8]. Stephen Adly Guirgis's plays include Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, Our Lady of 121st Street, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, The Little Flower of East Orange, and The Motherf*cker with the Hat. Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis darkly comic meditation on redemption and faith, Angel Cruz is a 30-year-old bicycle messenger awaiting trial for the death of the leader of a religious cult. Sure, it tells a story of addiction and cyclical abuse a narrative we've grown to expect about those who go behind bars. These near-monologues are often gorgeous, but they can also be weirdly self-negating; in 'A' Train, they don't even always make sense. In one particularly impressive monologue, Adjepong's Lucius exercises whilst addressing his religious beliefs; the actor's energy doesn't falter once as he performs countless press ups, squats and on the spot sprints all the while delivering his speech. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. But it also displays incendiary passion and insight into its troubled characters". If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor. As long as these interviews maintain the plays furiously Socratic tone, they enhance the idea that making good choices in an evil world is nearly beyond the human skill set. 1 Benet in a sectional final. [16] In 2018, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train was ranked by The New York Times writers as the 14th best American play of the previous 25 years. The two convicts talk about God and redemption, free-will, racism, addiction and the meaning of freedom. The questions dont so much hover over Jesus Hopped the A Train as yank at it with gale force. Beautifully acted, these scenes are expertly written by Guirgis whose dialogue is both frank, darkly comical and naturalistic while still playing host to some fascinating theological debates. 4. . There are a finite number of Shakespeare monologues, so the most accessible roles for actors in their 20's tend to be overdone. Photo: Tristram Kenton. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Kate Hewitts production and Magda Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. Stephen Adly Guirgis' Pulitzer Prize-winning "Between Riverside and Crazy" gets its local debut at Steppenwolf in June. Why is it significant to the play? [9][10] Previews started two days late, on October 5, due to Reg E. Cathey leaving the company suddenly to be replaced by Mr. Signature Theater presents a revival of 'Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train,' a 2000 drama by Stephen Adly Guirgis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'Between Riverside and Crazy' and 'The Motherf . Randall Sr. captivates as Lucius "Black Plague" Jenkins, a serial killer on death row who has found God and is trying to lead Angel to Him . they come through these characters whose unbridled sense of humour, stories, Gender: Male. Yet, the five characters, their fraught interactions and the impact they have on each others lives sustain interest. At the opening of the play, he is in his second night of incarceration, awaiting trial for shooting the leader of that cult in the "ass." He is on his knees, alone and terrified, trying to say a prayer he no . In fact . With so many themes to explore some get little more than a cursory nod, but in this Young . Jethmalani's production gets a little overstated in the small space, with some dialogue lost in the echoes. Angel Cruz is a young Puerto Rican man incarcerated for shooting a cult leader after said person "stole" his best friend. Dogg as sound designer. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. Castro's Valdez and Birnkrant's Mary Jane certainly seem as flawed if not quite as violent in the case of the latter as Angel. Even if Guirgis' play doesn't always add up, the individual pieces are highly watchable. David Zayas and Ron Cephas Jones in Jesus Hopped the A Train. The victim? The kind that only happens when the right actor connects with the right role at the right time. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is playing through November 12 . Apply for Rights. More . on March 2, 2022, There are no reviews yet. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train plays through April 21st at the SF Playhouse, 533 Sutter St, San Francisco. [12][13] However, Pamela Renner reviewed the premiere unfavorably in Variety, with most praise reserved for Ron Cephas Jones. Contents 1 Plot synopsis 2 Productions 3 Reception 4 References 5 External links Plot synopsis The play takes place in a prison on Rikers Island in New York. The play is essentially a set of monologues stitched together at the edges, and showing signs of fraying. Publication date 2002 Topics . Elysium Theatre deserve much credit for bringing Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train to Manchester for the first time. Ben Brantley reviews Labyrinth Theater Company production of Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, at East 13th Street Theater; photo (M) The latter shot a Korean minister (apparently modeled after the Rev. Dualities galore is the name of the game in Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train! Angel is awaiting trial - his first. Isaac. But me? GUIRGIS/Jesus Hopped the A Train/2001/Angel/Skiing in Aspen HERZOG/4000 Miles/2012/LEO/Chicken crash monologue . Stephen Adly Guirgis's Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train runs through Dec. 3 on the Irene Diamond Stage at Pershing Square Signature Center (480 W. 42nd St.). Monologues from Plays. Those arguments are eternal, as the frequent biblical references suggest. Lucius Jenkins, played by Dumi is an extremely articulate African American convicted serial killer who is trying to stall his extradition to Florida, where he will be executed. "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" bristles with anger, fear and inescapable sadness. Lucius has found God and been reborn. Jenkins, a born again Christian and cold blooded killer. Our Father, who art in heaven, he stammers, Harold be thy name.. Jesus Hopped The "A" Train. No memorization required. it in the round allows the guard Valdez (a smug and pitiable character played very and Hanrahans monologues to gain an air of a courtroom. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. Part Size . His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. agrees to represent him. These are the dichotomies that Stephen Adly Guirgis's Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train puts up against each other, whilst exploring the injustices and complexities of the American justice system. The play was performed during the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in August 2001. Terell W.J. Not Exactly Billington: writing about theatre since 2012. The performance by Frankham was another highlight for me; the development of the character though her interactions with Angel and her later monologues was subtle, yet well conveyed. Given those two scenes, you might assume this will be just another legal procedural about a hoodlum caught up in the prison-industrial complex. He is the one who reaches out, shares cigarettes, warns about the Monday soup and recites the names of the books of the Old Testament, backward, while doing deep knee bends and lunges. Rehearsal: May 28 - July 7, 2018. . One has been serving his sentence for years, but his discovery of God helps him find joy in his days.
Wilcox County, Alabama Plantations,
Intermountain Healthcare Executive Salaries,
Articles J