Uploaded by Jesus Hopped the A Train screens only on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Jesus' Blood Found 23 Chromosomes, Apply for Rights. One gets the sense that, with only a slight reversal of fate, Valdez and Mary Jane could have easily ended up going down a dark path with Angel serving as their subsequent lawyer. . One has been serving his sentence for years, but his discovery of God helps him find joy in his days. 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. Seeking 2 Actor Team for Spring What about my victimization? It was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman (yes, that Philip Seymour Hoffman) and ran until the end of December that same year. Good cop is D'Amico (a warm and sturdy Robert Heinly), who exemplifies kind-hearted compassion. 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. Was it my free will to be an undiagnosed manic-depressive paranoid schizophrenic?! Yet, the five characters, their fraught interactions and the impact they have on each others lives sustain interest. Why is it significant to the play? "Our Father, who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name . **** Mary Jane (his lawyer): Well . AE is fully committed to diversity, inclusion and equal employment opportunity. . What Does Cameron Call His Style Of Rhythm?, Sure, it tells a story of addiction and cyclical abuse a narrative we've grown to expect about those who go behind bars. Singhateh is compelling as evangelising killer Lucius, his performance cleverly toying with the audience's sympathies as he slips between charming bonhomie and cold-bloodedness. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! Angel Cruz, played by Richard Nguyen Sloniker is a Puerto Rican awaiting trial for justifiable attempted murder. The play is essentially a set of monologues stitched together at the edges, and showing signs of fraying. Lucius Jenkins is on appeal, trying to avoid the death penalty for the murder of eight people. For one hour each day both men share adjacent cages on Rikers Island. Please prepare one of the sides available at https://actors-express.com/get-involved/ . 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. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is a graphic and disturbing deep dive into prison life and faith. Lucius Jenkins, a.k.a. 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. But after DAmico is canned for slipping Lucius contraband cookies, hes left without an audience. Kim's described affect on Joey, the friend Angel fought so hard to free from a cultish existence built by a false prophet. He projects a grooviness turned dry and brittle, making each. A good opportunity to break away from the constant repetition of intense conflicts were monologues delivered to the . (Scott Dray). The play was produced in London at the Donmar Warehouse in 2002. Soulpepper Theatre presents Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, a graphic and distressing story of two prison inmates serving time for murder. In fact, that symmetry is present in almost every character. Creative_Project (1).docx. David Zayas and Ron Cephas Jones in Jesus Hopped the A Train. 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 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. Jesus Hopped the A . Equity actors for roles in JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN by Stephen Adly Guirgis. These scenes are separated by blackouts and a . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train plays through April 21st at the SF Playhouse, 533 Sutter St, San Francisco. The victim? [12][13] However, Pamela Renner reviewed the premiere unfavorably in Variety, with most praise reserved for Ron Cephas Jones. The latter shot a Korean minister (apparently modeled after the Rev. Some movie actress, she got incested once or twice, she so brave to come forward! Lucius Jenkins Show Jesus Hopped the A Train Gender Male Age Range Adult, Mature Adult Role Size Lead Time & Place rikers island prison, new york, present day Tags angry christian serial killer smug confident charisma Analysis Charismatic and confident, Lucius is a convicted serial killer in READ MORE - PRO MEMBERS ONLY But the intriguing Eric Aviles as Angel and E. Milton Wheeler as Lucius, a serial killer who's supposedly found Jesus . The performance by Williams was understated but effective and led to one of the most compelling scenes, where D'Amico is describing Lucius' execution. Lucius Jenkins. Intermission is partnering with Soulpepper Theatre Company and theatre critic Robert Cushman to mentor this season's participants. The themes are smartly presented and evident without having public defender Mary Jane (Bridget McCarthy) say one mans neurotic is another mans hero, and who, ultimately, can say which ones which with any real certainty at all? The guard Valdez is not given the depth and nuance doled out to the other characters. . We see how his case becomes of a professional project Stephen Adly Guirgis got his break in 2000 with "Jesus Hopped the . Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. The burdens of the outside world are crushing, and in the little time these two share outdoors in their separate cages shows the strain. With so many themes to explore some get little more than a cursory nod, but in this Young . Angel's desperate desire for assurance and forgiveness make him, in a weird way, immediately lovable. The kind that opens up the scope of a script. light and freedom. Two contrasting prison guards, although convincingly portrayed by Quinn M. Johnson Charlie DAmico (good-guy, likable Charlie DAmico) and Justin Picado (strict, cruel Valdez), remain schematic. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train does not offer a clear verdict, even while it implicitly criticises the judicial and penal systems of America. Angel is awaiting trial - his first. Angel Cruz. Four glass Lucius Jenkins is on appeal, trying to avoid the death penalty for the murder of eight people. 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. That Lucius (Edi Gathegi) is generally sunny and witty despite having killed eight people plays with our loyalties. J esus Hopped the 'A' Train occurs almost entirely within the one-hour-per-day periods when two Rikers Island prisonersAngel Cruz (Anthony Lam) and Lucius Jenkins (Bobby Bermea)get to . The critic wrote that there are "overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues. Lucius Jenkins, a monologue from Jesus Hopped the A-Train by Stephen Adly Gurgius. A lot of what we hear from the lawyer is in the form of direct . Still, they're full of rhetorical fireworks. Collective Consciousness Theatre, the black box theater in Erector Square with a penchant for urban dramas and works by authors of color, is back with its first production of the season: Stephen Adly Guirgis' sobering Jesus Hopped the A Train.First produced in 2000, the play sets up a situation where crime and punishment . Lucius has found God and been born again, and now, Angel's life and the course of his trial will be changed forever. Lucius is a serial . And doors slide back and forth to create the different places, most notably the separated Photo: Tristram Kenton. JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Puetro-Rican, Angel, played with refined commitment by Ukweli Roach, shot a religious cult leader in the behind, landing him with potential murder charges.. Singhateh is compelling as evangelising killer Lucius, his performance cleverly toying with the audience's sympathies as he slips between charming bonhomie and cold-bloodedness. All people wanna do is cry for the victims! What Does Cameron Call His Style Of Rhythm? Kim's described affect on Joey, the friend Angel fought so hard to free from a cultish existence built by a false prophet. His poetry has appeared in various literary publications in the United States and abroad. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train Theatre Review. . With Lucius Jenkins' spiritually transformed after killing eight people, Valdez becomes the default villain of the piece, if it has one, but Guirgis suggests that the Valdezes of the world reflect larger failings throughout the justice system. 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.). Describe the Night. Those arguments are eternal, as the frequent biblical references suggest. Lucius Jenkins is a . He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. Particularly thought-provoking is a monologue by Matthew Douglas as Charlie, the guard before Valdez who was fired, whose initial amicable relationship with Lucius is clouded by his final visitation. 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. It's a tight, well-paced and thoughtful staging . 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. More . Although he takes responsibility for his actions, he still fears execution. JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN by Stephen Adly Guirgis . At a glance Short North. 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. Publication date 2002 Topics . 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 . 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. [11] The production team included director Mark Brokaw, Riccardo Hernndez as set designer, Dede M. Ayite as costume designer, Scott Zielinski as lighting designer, and M.L. 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." **** Mary Jane . Stephen Adly Guirgis' critical and hilarious examination o. Jesus hopped the 'A' train by Guirgis, Stephen Adly. Both are in protective custody and must spend their one-hour of outside time locked in individual pens. 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 . Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. 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. For one hour each day, both men share adjacent cages on Rikers Island, New York's top security prison. Isaac. Jethmalani's production gets a little overstated in the small space, with some dialogue lost in the echoes. Gender: Male. 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. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. 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 Guirgis tosses a lot of moral questions into the mix here, and while he avoids moralizing (as does Anish Jethmalani's crisp and high-octane production), he also doesn't seem to have fully decided whether he's writing a searing portrait of the dehumanization of the correctional system or a theological deconstruction of the rock of faith in a hard place. Stephen Adly Guirgis' Pulitzer Prize-winning "Between Riverside and Crazy" gets its local debut at Steppenwolf in June. 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. . [4][5][6] The original cast included Salvatore Inzerillo, John Ortiz, and David Zayas, Ron Cephas Jones, and Elizabeth Canavan.[4]. Reverend Kim, a Lexus-driving cult leader who's sucked in Angel's childhood friend, Joey. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The opening joke is not, therefore, cheap. [7] It was nominated for the Olivier Award, Best New Play for 2003.[8]. Playing the charismatic older convict, Lucius a self-proclaimed child of god who has killed six people Jones is a live coal onstage. But youd be wrong. 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 . The reverend subsequently, and indirectly, dies. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. who shot a cult leader in the ass because he had ensnared Angel's best friend in his "religion," and Edi Gathegi as Lucius Jenkins, a brutal murderer who found religion on his way to the executioner. Their ongoing debates become the tortured heart of the play, and sometimes put the play itself at risk of becoming didactic. The cast of "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" by Eclipse Theatre. In 2011, his play The Motherfucker with the Hat was nominated for a handful of Tonys, including Best Play; a few scant weeks after the award . Laura Baronet. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. Search the history of over 797 billion . Rabbit Hole. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN by Stephen Adly Guirgis . Off Broadway Review: 'Jesus Hopped the A Train'. Angel Cruz is a 30-year-old bicycle messenger awaiting trial for the death of the leader of a religious cult. 79 pages ; 20 cm "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. by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Nor does Angel, at least initially. 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. Was it my free will to turn ta drugs and alcohol as a result a that sh*t? Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. 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. In 2017 Jesus Hopped the A Train seems to ask whether justice, and even God, is possible in an unjust society. Lucius (Carl Lumbly), an articulate serial killer who has found God, is Angel's next door cellmate. The production received considerable acclaim from critics such as Ben Brantley of the New York Times and Michael Feingold of The Village Voice. Search all monologues. 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. But in the next cell to Angel is an articulate serial killer called Lucius who has found God and who tries . Robert Heinly (D'Amico) in Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. Angel Cruz, a poor Puerto Rican, isn't . Angel Cruz and Lucius Jenkins face murder charges. Dogg as sound designer. 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 . The other actors do fine with their characters, who are written to mostly speak through direct-address. Above, over 40 white spot lights illuminate this catwalk. Part Size: Lead. An inmate at Rikers (ANGEL) struggles with his new circumstances as he tries to convince his fellow inmate (LUCIUS) to speak to him. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. 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. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train revels in these complexities. friend. It seems simple on the surface, but between these two strong actors, Guirgis stellar script and Dexter J. Singletons finely-tuned direction, it makes for electric theater. "Angel Cruz is a thirty-year-old bike messenger from NYC who has lost his best friend to a religious cult. Kate Hewitts production and Magda She makes the switch so effectively between coaching and monologue scenes that at first I thought she was two different actors. 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. Lucius; CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College THE 100. the shock of the charismatic Lucius' descriptions of his own murders, and finally, the 'A' train itself. When "Jesus Hopped The A Train" begins, you think it's 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. Read 26 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. . other. 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 . It then returned to New York City as writer Stephen Adly Guirgis began his residency at Signature Theatre Company. Equitys contracts prohibit discrimination. 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 . Still . It is freighted by an overload of pseudo-profundity; characters upbraiding each other about the Ultimate Questions can make for rather dreary stagecraft. 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. The play takes place in a prison on Rikers Island in New York. Melanie Furstenberg Dubuque, stimulus control transfer is important for, most dangerous towns in suffolk county, ny, God Is The Giver, And Sustainer Of Life Verse. Guirgis has a gift for mixing the humorous and the horrific, but it doesn't always land in the writing or the production here. Opened Oct. 23, 2017. Aint no disease a addiction for me, its free will.. Dont be a God-fearing man, Valdez warns Lucius, be a Valdez-fearing man.. Perhaps the most stirring monologue of the play comes from . The monologue of Paravicini from The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie (comedy / murder mystery) Shakespeare Monologue (Performance Video) . 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. T.Schreiber. 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 . Story. 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. . Jesus Hopped the "a " Train( main work) . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train begins and ends with the same image: a young prisoner, Angel, on his knees, praying in darkness. In 2018, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train was ranked by The New York Times writers as the 14th best American play of . . Gathegi. But it also displays incendiary passion and insight into its troubled characters". . 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.