The kind that only happens when the right actor connects with the right role at the right time. Lucius has done terrible things but now he has found God. 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. 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 doing too many favors for the killer. It's a tight, well-paced and thoughtful staging . And 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. 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. With so many themes to explore some get little more than a cursory nod, but in this Young . 4. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. 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 . Early on in the play, Valdez has a monologue-which may appear to be his only redeeming moment in the play. 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. 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) Lucius Jenkins is a serial killer, . Lucius (Carl Lumbly), an articulate serial killer who has found God, is Angel's next door cellmate. Playing Lucius Jenkins, a fellow inmate convicted of murdering eight people, Riggins delivers the kind of . 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 . God Is The Giver, And Sustainer Of Life Verse, HB Studio. Some prisoners go out of their minds when confined to the 23-hour isolation wing of Rikers Island prison. [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. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. Other Characters From Jesus Hopped the A Train. Kim's described affect on Joey, the friend Angel fought so hard to free from a cultish existence built by a false prophet. 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 . But when the Reverend dies in hospital, Angel lands in solitary confinement next to Lucius, a card-carrying Christian serial-killer. We hear a story of how her 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. 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. More . It is as vital now as it was at the turn of the millennium. 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. Visceral Adventure . 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 He is the author of the award winning book of poetry "Hip Hop Is Dead - Long Live Hip Hop: The Birth, Death And Resurrection Of Hip Hop Activism" (2017) and is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Alachua County, Florida (2020 - 2022). 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 . Signature Theater; 294 seats; $65 top. Thats not to say everything in Jesus works so well. [7] It was nominated for the Olivier Award, Best New Play for 2003.[8]. | Check out 'Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train Fundraiser' on Indiegogo. or convincing themselves. 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. But me? . With the criminal-justice system the subject of much scrutiny, Short North Stages production of Jesus Hopped the A Train seems timely. 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. In fact, that symmetry is present in almost every character. "[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. Hes a violent, racist jerk and not much else, although casting Hall in the role does give it some interesting subtext. Their scenes together alternate with ones in which Angels lawyer, Mary Jane Hanrahan, must break through his perverse resistance in order to prepare him for court. But it also displays incendiary passion and insight into its troubled characters". JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN. GUIRGIS/Jesus Hopped the A Train/2001/Angel/Skiing in Aspen HERZOG/4000 Miles/2012/LEO/Chicken crash monologue . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is a graphic and disturbing deep dive into prison life and faith. Lucius has found God and been born again, and now, Angel's life and the course of his trial will be changed forever. . Best of all is Velazcos touching recounting of a youthful near-death incident that satisfyingly clarifies the plays title as religious metaphor. A great deal of Jesus are the conversations between these two. is a lot of reason to like him or at least be impressed by him. 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. Where: Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Tickets: $30 at 773-935-6875 or www.eclipsetheatre.com. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. -+ Ravi Ghosh . But after DAmico is canned for slipping Lucius contraband cookies, hes left without an audience. for her but theres also a personal connection. Monologues for Women; Comedic; . Father Flynn. 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. 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 .
In 2018, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train was ranked by The New York Times writers as the 14th best American play of . 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 . Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. It opened on the Pershing Square Signature Center's Irene Diamond Stage on October 23, 2017, and ran until November 26th, 2017. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. 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 . society, are remarkabl. Marmions Trevon Roots wins battle with Burlington Centrals Drew Scharnowski for sectional title. One has been serving his sentence for years, but his discovery of God helps him find joy in his days. Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is a play written by Stephen Adly Guirgis . But his drive and dish make it possible. Was it my free will to turn ta drugs and alcohol as a result a that sh*t? Intermission is thrilled to be hosting the inaugural theatre reviews of the Emerging Arts Critics Programme 2019/20 season. And these characters sure do perform! does the system treat people the same when the circumstances are so different? 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). 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. Even if Guirgis' play doesn't always add up, the individual pieces are highly watchable. 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. **** Mary Jane (his lawyer): Well . The kind that opens up the scope of a script. No memorization required. The critic wrote that there are "overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues. 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. JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN by Stephen Adly Guirgis . Angel Cruz is a 30-year-old bicycle messenger awaiting trial for the death of the leader of a religious cult. Both are in protective custody and must spend their one-hour of outside time locked in individual pens. Photo: Tristram Kenton. Jesus beautifully toys with that idea, like in Mary Janes monologue about her alcoholic father. 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. 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 begins and ends with the same image: a young prisoner, Angel, on his knees, praying in darkness. Soulpepper Theatre presents Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, a graphic and distressing story of two prison inmates serving time for murder. 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. Results may vary. He relishes his 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. That Lucius (Edi Gathegi) is generally sunny and witty despite having killed eight people plays with our loyalties. 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. Equity actors for roles in JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN by Stephen Adly Guirgis. 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 . These near-monologues are often gorgeous, but they can also be weirdly self-negating; in 'A' Train, they don't even always make sense. 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. The questions dont so much hover over Jesus Hopped the A Train as yank at it with gale force.
Valdez - (30s/40s/Ltino) He is the sadistic guard assigned to Lucius at Rikers. 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. Making moments memorable are flashbacks some characters share. 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 Vagina Monologues; Eve Ensler; 3 pages. church/ cult leader in his water buffalo-sized ass in an attempt to rescue his Presented by Ron Kastner, Roy Gabay, and John Gould Rubin at the East 13th Street Theater, 136 E. 13 St., NYC, Nov. 29-Dec. 31. Jesus Hopped the A Train. The production received considerable acclaim from critics such as Ben Brantley of the New York Times and Michael Feingold of The Village Voice. It's the reason I keep coming back to Collective Consciousness. His poetry has appeared in various literary publications in the United States and abroad. But youd be wrong. T.Schreiber. Angel's stated justification is that the minister ran a cult that took his best friend away from him. and Hanrahans monologues to gain an air of a courtroom. But as Lucius works his sociopathic charm on Angel, he begins to open up little by little. "Angel Cruz is a thirty-year-old bike messenger from NYC who has lost his best friend to a religious cult. Submit at https://actors-express.com/get-involved/ . His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. . Gathegi. Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train does not offer a clear verdict, even while it implicitly criticises the judicial and penal systems of America. Sure, it tells a story of addiction and cyclical abuse a narrative we've grown to expect about those who go behind bars. Riggins has done terrific work at Collective Consciousness before. Describe the Night. Angel holds out that he was justified and his lawyer's sure that a hearts-and-minds appeal will get him off at trial. "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 . View All Characters in Jesus Hopped the A Train. Lucius. Before Angel arrived, Lucius would spend this time chatting with DAmico, a kindly guard played by Rob Giardian. JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN - Equity video submissions Actor's Express Theatre Company | Atlanta, GA, Associate Artistic Director Amanda Washington. 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. about justice and redemption, whats right and wrong, and the power of belief. Part Size . Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Lucius is awaiting extradition to Florida to take responsibility for the trail of bodies he left behind. and Lucius (D'Wayne Taylor) in Eclipse Theatre's production of "Jesus Hopped the A Train" by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Anish Jethmalani. 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 . 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. One of the most striking things about Soulpepper's Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is how multi-dimensional its main characters are. . Email auditions@actorsexpress.com if you have questions. 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. 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. 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. We see how his case becomes of a professional project Thats astonishing, as their roles are killers in more ways than one. Perhaps it is to keep the drama from flying into pieces, therefore, that he clamps the procedural frame so firmly in place around the prisoners debates. Brayden Fagbemis putback rescues No. Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes with one 20-minute interval. Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis (Between Riverside and Crazy) begins his Residency at Signature with a new production of his darkly comic meditation on redemption and faith, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, directed by Obie Award-winner Mark Brokaw.Angel Cruz is a 30-year-old bicycle messenger awaiting trial for the death of the leader of a religious cult. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. 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. Lucius Jenkins is on appeal, trying to avoid the death penalty for the murder of eight people. Theres much about 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 . More . The other actors do fine with their characters, who are written to mostly speak through direct-address. LINK: His replacement, Valdez (Ricardo Chavira), is not likely to show anyone a kindness. Angel Cruz, played by Richard Nguyen Sloniker is a Puerto Rican awaiting trial for justifiable attempted murder. station23.cebu Given those two scenes, you might assume this will be just another legal procedural about a hoodlum caught up in the prison-industrial complex. Kate Hewitts production and Magda Some prisoners go out of their minds when confined to the 23-hour isolation wing of Rikers Island prison. Scotiabank Rising Teammates, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. When the psychopath is an acute thinker about responsibility and the atheist a tantrum-prone man-child hoping to avoid it, we have trouble deciding how to invest our emotions.
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. But it also displays incendiary passion and insight into its troubled characters". Dont be a God-fearing man, Valdez warns Lucius, be a Valdez-fearing man.. 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 . Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Short North Stage will stream Jesus Hopped the A Train through June 27.Tickets cost $15. With some bravado, Angel insists that what he did was therefore only technically wrong. [2][3] The play was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. Photograph by Teresa Wood. Sean Carvajal stars in Stephen Adly Guirgis's Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, directed by Mark Brokaw, at Signature Theatre. they come through these characters whose unbridled sense of humour, stories, 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. When the cult leader dies during surgery, Angel suddenly finds himself facing murder charges. An LA Theater Works production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's play about Angel Cruz, a Puerto Rican who is in jail after a prank turned badly: He shoots Reverend Kim in the, uh, posterior, after Kim, a rich hypocrite preacher, brainwashed his best friend. As public defender Mary Jane Hanrahan, who tries to preparereluctant Angel for court, Carolyn Demanelis captures the jaded cynicism and the faded embers of idealism of someone whos labored in the system for far too long. There are a finite number of Shakespeare monologues, so the most accessible roles for actors in their 20's tend to be overdone. . Our Father, who art in heaven, he stammers, Harold be thy name.. Jesus Hopped the A Train. Truth versus lies. other. Angel Cruz and Lucius Jenkins face murder charges. Angel (John Ortiz) and Lucius (Ron Cephas Jones) are in lock-down, spending all but one hour a day in their cells. We only provide suggested audition monologues or songs for an individual character if our system finds content that matches a character's traits. Gender: Male. Uploaded by Jesus Hopped the A Train - Play. It allows Lucius' evangelism to soar and Hanrahan's monologues to gain an air of a courtroom. agrees to represent him. a panoptican effect. 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 . Reverend Kim, a Lexus-driving cult leader who's sucked in Angel's childhood friend, Joey. 0. Equitys contracts prohibit discrimination. Search all monologues from plays. Pursuant to Equity guidelines, proof of full vaccination no later than two weeks prior to in person work is a required condition of employment. . Lucius Jenkins: Male, 40-49 Work from Home Christian, serial killer, smug, confident, and charismatic, with a near manic upbeat energy. 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. Still . Then one day they get talking. The latter shot a Korean minister (apparently modeled after the Rev. Angel, who has just shot the leader of a religious cult, gloomily awaits the results of his trial, all the while insisting to himself that the shooting was entirely justified because of the cult's. A lot of what we hear from the lawyer is in the form of direct . Re-read the monologue. Stephen Adly Guirgis. The cast of "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" by Eclipse Theatre. The reverend subsequently, and indirectly, dies. As his name implies, Angel wrestles with questions of faith, and those questions come pouring out from Lucius during their side-by-side exercise sessions in the prison's outdoor cages. It allows Lucius evangelism to soar The performance by Williams was understated but effective and led to one of the most compelling scenes, where D'Amico is describing Lucius' execution. Jenkins, a born again Christian and cold blooded killer. 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, Sure, it tells a story of addiction and cyclical abuse a narrative we've grown to expect about those who go behind bars. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train begins and ends with the same image: a young prisoner, Angel, on his knees, praying in darkness. He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. glass, to create the sense that characters might be talking to, arguing with, . (Arthur Williams III), an older man who shows him kindness and seeks to show him the way to Jesus's love. More than most Zoom-style productions, this one unifies separately filmed characters through the actors expert timing and via the common scenic background of poster-stylized prison and protest. Much of it also seems unneeded and diverting. Doubt. 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. 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. Terell W.J. Stuart. Good versus evil. Pirie has a resume of fine acting longer than Lucius' rap sheet, and it shows. Lucius Jenkins - (40's/50's/Black) He is a charismatic, confident convicted serial killer but he has . Aint no disease a addiction for me, its free will.. The new guard Valdez (Jason Hall) is cruel and curt. The first, Charlie D'Amico (Erick Betancourt), is soon fired for doing a variety of favors for Lucius. Cory Velazco is fascinatingly impulsive, defensive, skeptical and earnest as Angel Cruz, a young man who finds himself in prison after trying to save his best friend from a religious cult. by Stephen Adly Guirgis.