Was it my free will to be an undiagnosed manic-depressive paranoid schizophrenic?! clean in its execution, and one which gives the illusion (conversely) of space, Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is a play written by Stephen Adly Guirgis . Aint no disease a addiction for me, its free will.. Dogg as sound designer. Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train reveals a young playwright's awkwardness with its overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues.But it also displays . A long traverse stage, no more than two But his drive and dish make it possible. 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. Sure, it tells a story of addiction and cyclical abuse a narrative we've grown to expect about those who go behind bars. on the Internet. But the audience also hears stories of childhood friendships and complicated . Willis design are deceptively simple. Review | Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train | Young Vic | 5 Stars | Kate Hewitt's production of Stephen Adly Guirgis' 'Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train' is bold and. Jesus Hopped first opened off-Broadway in November of 2000. Intermission is partnering with Soulpepper Theatre Company and theatre critic Robert Cushman to mentor this season's participants. The others Stephanie DiMaggio as Hanrahan, Erick Betancourt as Charlie and especially Ricardo Chavira as the terrifying Valdez support them, and the plays whipsawing arguments, handily. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. Portland Monthly; Seattle Met; Sarasota Magazine; Aspen Sojourner; Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine; Park City Magazine; Houstonia Magazine 2799 Katy Freeway, Suite 250, Houston, TX 77007 Phone: 713-862 . Postponed from April when an actor became ill with COVID-19, this pandemic-era production forges resonant metaphors after so many months of socially separated isolation. . . Lucius. Synopsis. a panoptican effect. It is as vital now as it was at the turn of the millennium. He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. The verbally fiery "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" is a bravura play: The dialogue can be ear-scaldingly profane, and the heaven-or-hell speeches soar like theological arias. One has been serving his sentence for years, but his discovery of God helps him find joy in his days. This slight flaw in the writing is exacerbated by a few awkward directorial choices, including a Law & Order-like chung-chung sound effect between scenes. It's a tight, well-paced and thoughtful staging . Rabbit Hole. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train closes October 15, 2017 Details and tickets -[/ezcol_1third] It's startling to watch Luciusa so-called man of Godinfluence Angel in a way akin to Rev. . . Although he takes responsibility for his actions, he still fears execution. Valdez - (30s/40s/Ltino) He is the sadistic guard assigned to Lucius at Rikers. Stephen Adly Guirgis. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. If it reached no further, the breakneck drama, originally produced by the Labyrinth Theater Company in 2000, would be a worthy enough stunt, a jukebox of Mamet-scaled vulgarity. The production received considerable acclaim from critics such as Ben Brantley of the New York Times and Michael Feingold of The Village Voice. There is nothing abstract about them: Mr. Guirgis says that the play began in his own attempt to rescue a friend from the Unification Church. In the Signature Theater revival of Stephen Adly Guirgis' "Jesus Hopped the A Train . . One of the most striking things about Soulpepper's Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is how multi-dimensional its main characters are. Jesus hopped the 'A' train by Guirgis, Stephen Adly. Jesus Hopped the A Train. dialogue, and street-wise sense of authenticity, despite being locked out of You might even think that those first two scenes play just a little too broadly. The moral argument between these two men forms the heart of the play, as Lucius, who says he found God in prison, confronts Angel, who long ago lost God outside it. Jesus Hopped was fairly well received by critics and though it did not pick up any major awards in its US run, it was nominated for an Olivier Award in the UK in the category of Best New Play in 2003. [9][10] Previews started two days late, on October 5, due to Reg E. Cathey leaving the company suddenly to be replaced by Mr. The production team includes Ashley Sweet (stage management), David Sepulveda (set design), Jamie Burnett (lightening design), Tommy Rosati (sound design), Carol Koumbaros (costume design), Emiley Charley (ASM/Propmaster). Lucius Jenkins: Male, 40-49 Work from Home Christian, serial killer, smug, confident, and charismatic, with a near manic upbeat energy. [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." Jesus_Hopped_A . Collective Consciousness Theatres 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 Delossantos (Angel), Rob Giardian (DAmico), Jason Hall (Valdez), Bridget McCarthy (Mary Jane Hanrahan) & Terrence Riggins (Lucius). JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN - Equity video submissions Actor's Express Theatre Company | Atlanta, GA, Associate Artistic Director Amanda Washington. Lucius Jenkins has found God, and Angel's life and the course of his trial will be changed forever. 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. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train revels in these complexities. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train does not offer a clear verdict, even while it implicitly criticises the judicial and penal systems of America. Joey said, "Jesus hopped the A train to see us safe to bed." Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. DAmico - (30s/40s/Italian) He is a gentle and more calming guard at Rikers. 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. . father stabbed someone at a dance when she was younger, but, In Rikers, Angel meets Lucius Part Size . But youd be wrong. A sociopathic serial killer awaiting extradition to Florida, Lucius pauses from his workouts only to chain smoke and to "save" Angel. Lucius, despite Taylor's fearsome performance, remains a bit of a conundrum, as captured in a beguiling late-in-the-play monologue from D'Amico (Zach Bloomfield), a guard who loses his job for . Opened Oct. 23, 2017. one hour of sunlight a day and he has all of the, Adly Guirgis raises questions New York, NY, Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall
Good versus evil. And Lucius has found God and been born again, and now, Angel's life and the course of his trial will be changed forever. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train reveals a young playwright's awkwardness with its overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues. With so many themes to explore some get little more than a cursory nod, but in this Young . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train reveals a young playwright's awkwardness with its overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues. Four glass 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 . But mostly there Terell W.J. 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 . Valdez (Christian M. Castro), the quick-with-the-club guard, has no use for Lucius' proclamations of faith. . Elysium Theatre deserve much credit for bringing Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train to Manchester for the first time. "[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. When Jesus Hopped The A Train begins, you think its going to be a story about Angel Cruz, a thirty-year-old Latino who winds up in prison after shooting a cult leader in a botched mission to rescue his brainwashed friend. Set in Rikers Island, the notorious New York City jail, Guirgis' play traces the parallel fates of two inmates Lucius (D'Wayne Taylor), a serial killer known as "the Black Plague," and Angel (Johnathan Nieves), a young Puerto Rican. Moon) in the hindquarters and ends up facing a murder rap when the minister dies in surgery. Angel Cruz is a 30-year-old bicycle messenger awaiting trial for the death of the leader of a religious cult. Im juss a Black Plague! .
Their monologues are all interesting, at least, but Guirgis was mainly interested in having Angel and Lucius debate. Uploaded by Lucius Jenkins, a monologue from Jesus Hopped the A-Train by Stephen Adly Gurgius. The kind that opens up the scope of a script. Add into this world Lucius Jenkins, an incarcerated serial killer with a messianic personality, and two prison guards, Valdez and D'Amico, who have radically different ways of enforcing and breaking the laws of which they are functionaries, and JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN unfolds as both riotously funny, and as a searingly dramatic rumination . What Does Cameron Call His Style Of Rhythm?, Theres much about Apply for Rights. He projects a grooviness turned dry and brittle, making each. . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is skillfully structured so that the audience's sympathies see-saw back and forth between the silver-tongued Lucius and a seemingly sadistic guard named Valdez (the . . The two convicts talk about God and redemption, free-will, racism, addiction and the meaning of freedom. 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. It's the reason I keep coming back to Collective Consciousness. A monologue from Jesus Hopped Jesus Hopped The A Train- Angel on Vimeo There is even something endearing about the crime that put him in prison: He shot a cult leader in the butt while trying to rescue a friend. it in the round allows the guard Valdez (a smug and pitiable character played very Jesus Hopped the "a " Train( main work) . 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) Barrow Group. But it also displays incendiary passion and insight into its. 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.
and Lucius (D'Wayne Taylor) in Eclipse Theatre's production of "Jesus Hopped the A Train" by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Anish Jethmalani. 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. Start: Hail MaryHail MaryHail Mary Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall. 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. By Jesse Green. Pursuant to Equity guidelines, proof of full vaccination no later than two weeks prior to in person work is a required condition of employment. who are written to mostly speak through direct-address.
Author bio(s) $13.00. Mary Jane Hanrahan - (late 20s/early 30s/White) She is Angels jaded and tired state appointed attorney. Playing Lucius Jenkins, a fellow inmate convicted of murdering eight people, Riggins delivers the kind of . 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 . Start your review of Jesus Hopped the A Train. Yet, by the end of the play, the opening scenes dark hilarity appears more to have been a groping first effort toward a sincere rediscovery of faith perhaps Guirgis deepest theme. Photo: Tristram Kenton. 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. Equitys contracts prohibit discrimination. The shooting was part of Angels plan to rescue his best friend, whom the cult had stolen and brainwashed. or convincing themselves. 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 How Its a complex and feral feat of acting, one that would feel at home at Long Wharf or Yale Rep or even at one of the best New York theaters. friend. Playing the charismatic older convict, Lucius a self-proclaimed child of god who has killed six people Jones is a live coal onstage. This 2000 play, which has had a few productions locally, probably carries extra resonance in a year when criminal justice and questions about mass incarceration have been pushed to the foreground. Jesus Hopped the A Train - Play. Lucius Jenkins, a.k.a. Aside from that hilarious and heartbreaking first sentence, theres not much I can quote from Stephen Adly Guirgiss Jesus Hopped the A Train, which opened on Monday in a riveting revival by the Signature Theater. 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. THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL at New York Theatre Workshop, THE WALLS HAVE EARS at The Roxy Theatre Group, Gulfshore Playhouse 2023-24 Season at Gulfshore Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2023 Season at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE 2023 SEASON at Westport Country Playhouse. LINK: His replacement, Valdez (Ricardo Chavira), is not likely to show anyone a kindness. These near-monologues are often gorgeous, but they can also be weirdly self-negating; in 'A' Train, they don't even always make sense. Sean Carvajal stars in Stephen Adly Guirgis's Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, directed by Mark Brokaw, at Signature Theatre. All monologues are property and copyright of their owners. well by Joplin Sibtain) to roam all levels of the auditorium, in turn creating Jesus Hopped the A Train. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train Theatre Review. Angel Cruz is a young Puerto Rican man incarcerated for shooting a cult leader after said person "stole" his best friend. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. Jesus Hopped the A Train is 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. "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" bristles with anger, fear and inescapable sadness. It is freighted by an overload of pseudo-profundity; characters upbraiding each other about the Ultimate Questions can make for rather dreary stagecraft. The Kean Theatre Conservatory will open its 2016-2017 season this week with Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis (October 14 - 22, Zella Fry Theatre). With the criminal-justice system the subject of much scrutiny, Short North Stages production of Jesus Hopped the A Train seems timely. But when performed, as it is here, by a cast that can recreate its rapture as well as its moral gravity, it achieves the doubleness of great art, burrowing deeper the higher it flies. The play runs about 15 minutes too long the second act has too much repetitive, screamed arguments and Guirgis has a habit of spelling his theses out a little too neatly. 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. New York, NY, Linda Ray
Yet, "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" may be trickier to perform, with its passions verging on melodrama and its frequent alternating monologues sometimes telling rather than showing. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Jesus beautifully toys with that idea, like in Mary Janes monologue about her alcoholic father. But in a series of monologues that pull further back from the action, Hanrahans reflections on the case, and on her own investment in it, dissipate the tension. 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. Lucius Jenkins is a . But when the Reverend dies in hospital, Angel lands in solitary confinement next to Lucius, a card-carrying Christian serial-killer. Why is it significant to the play? But when the Reverend dies in hospital, Angel lands in solitary confinement next to Lucius, a card-carrying Christian serial-killer. . Creative_Project (1).docx. Early on in the play, Valdez has a monologue-which may appear to be his only redeeming moment in the play. Above, over 40 white spot lights illuminate this catwalk. 4. Spoken in Riggins hoarse yet commanding drawl, modulating his speed and timbre with the dexterity of a blues guitarist, its the kind of moment when a play hits a perfect bulls-eye. Some prisoners go out of their minds when confined to the 23-hour isolation wing of Rikers Island prison. Jesus Hopped The "A" Train. Added to the mix are Lucius Jenkins, a serial killer turned born-again Christian, and Valdez, a sadistic corrections officer. Short North Stage will stream Jesus Hopped the A Train through June 27.Tickets cost $15. Late in Jesus Hopped the "A" Train, . Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. There is even something endearing about the crime that put him in prison: He shot a cult leader in the butt while trying to rescue a friend. The critic wrote that there are "overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues. [4][5][6] The original cast included Salvatore Inzerillo, John Ortiz, and David Zayas, Ron Cephas Jones, and Elizabeth Canavan.[4]. Intermission is thrilled to be hosting the inaugural theatre reviews of the Emerging Arts Critics Programme 2019/20 season. On his first night at Rikers Island, a terrified inmate named Angel Cruz tries to reconstruct the Lords Prayer from his broken memories. Search the history of over 797 billion | Check out 'Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train Fundraiser' on Indiegogo. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! He's being held there because, as he tells us, he "shot a man in the ass" earlier that week. . Furthermore, staging Before Angel arrived, Lucius would spend this time chatting with DAmico, a kindly guard played by Rob Giardian. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 p.m. on Saturday; matinees are at 2 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday. about justice and redemption, whats right and wrong, and the power of belief. Furthermore, staging it in the round allows the guard Valdez (a smug and pitiable character played very well by Joplin Sibtain) to roam all levels of . . Howie. Jethmalani's production gets a little overstated in the small space, with some dialogue lost in the echoes. Lucius to dislike, although this is after weve warmed to him. Angel's desperate desire for assurance and forgiveness make him, in a weird way, immediately lovable. A good opportunity to break away from the constant repetition of intense conflicts were monologues delivered to the . Soulpepper's 'Jesus Hopped the A Train' does just that. 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. The play is essentially a set of monologues stitched together at the edges, and showing signs of fraying. [1], The play premiered Off-Broadway at the East 13th Street Theatre in a production by LAByrinth Theater Company on November 29, 2000, and ran to December 31, 2000. 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. Terell W.J. But they are also particular to our time and place, perhaps even more so now that the United States is the worlds largest jailer than they were in 2000. Gender: Male. Angel Cruz is a 30-year-old bicycle messenger awaiting trial for the death of the leader of a religious cult. Directed by Kevin Mack. meters wide with a concrete floor, runs from one end of the auditorium to the 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. 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 . Angel holds out that he was justified and his lawyer's sure that a hearts-and-minds appeal will get him off at trial. Laura Baronet. [2][3] The play was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. how long does academy background check take for gun. Rehearsal: May 28 - July 7, 2018. . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train does not offer a clear verdict, even while it implicitly criticises the judicial and penal systems of America. Lucius Jenkins is on appeal, trying to avoid the death penalty for the murder of eight people. Nah, people doan wanna hear bout none a that! Stephen Adly Guirgis' 2000 play, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train follows Angel Cruz and God-lover Lucius Jenkins, as they navigate life in a prison on Rikers Island in New York. Arthur Williams III as Lucius Jenkins and Bill Stambaugh as Valdez in Hovey's 'Jesus Hopped the A Train) By Deanna Dement Myers. 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. light and freedom. So many issues are raised that a play much longer than this two-hour, 15-minute streaming production would strain to do all of them justice. The latter shot a Korean minister (apparently modeled after the Rev. . . Angel (Sean Carvajal) is being held pending trial for the shooting of a Reverend Kim, the leader of a religious organization modeled on Sun Myung Moons Unification Church. We hear a story of how her . (played with methodical control by Dervla Kirwan) takes a liking to him and 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 . But me? Joey said, "Jesus hopped the A train to see us safe to bed." **** Mary Jane . The play's format, which really focuses on a series of monologues and duologues - offers a complete focus on the individuals . Explore, Explain, and argue. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Angel Cruz, played by Richard Nguyen Sloniker is a Puerto Rican awaiting trial for justifiable attempted murder. Packed densely into a bullet-fast script, a barrage of . More . On his first night at Rikers Island, a terrified inmate named Angel Cruz tries to reconstruct the Lord's Prayer from his broken memories. Lucius Jenkins - (40s/50s/Black) He is a charismatic, confident convicted serial killer but he has a strong Christian faith since being incarcerated.