June 10-16, 2004

theater

Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train

by David Anthony Fox

Visceral. Gritty. Harrowing. It's this and more we're meant to expect from Stephen Adly Guirgis, who — on the basis of a mere handful of plays — has been hailed by The New York Times as America's best young playwright.

So how good is he? And how good is Jesus Hopped the "A' Train?

Not that good. This prison drama treads a path familiar from umpteen other plays and Dick Wolf TV shows, and it doesn't entirely transcend the genre's cliches.

Jesus is the story of two men in New York's overburdened correctional system. Lucius Jenkins waits execution for eight grisly murders. Angel Cruz has shot a fraudulent religious leader in what seems like an act of moral indignation; it also appears that Cruz intended to maim, not kill. Fate intervenes, and Cruz's victim dies. Fate intervenes again and puts Cruz and Jenkins together in a prison yard. The men get to know each other while awaiting their futures. (Cruz, at least, has a smart lawyer, Mary Jane Hanrahan, working for him. The system has given up on Jenkins.)

What Guirgis has going for him is an ear for flavorful dialogue. There are provocative encounters where Angel (confused and pitiable) and Lucius (virtuosic) gnaw on ideas of guilt and redemption. (Caveat emptor: The play begins with a nearly uncountable number of "fucks" and "shits," and continues similarly. The dialogue is prison-speak and probably accurate, though the reliance on profanity seems rooted also in Guirgis' desire to shock.) Juxtaposing religious images with gritty urbanism is a favorite Guirgis trope: Note this title and another, Our Lady of 121st Street.

But while Jesus appears to strive for a grand vision, it's never entirely clear what it is. Ultimately the superficial punchiness of the script, coupled with its simple construction (two-character scenes are used to gnaw on "issues"; monologues addressed to the audience provide plot momentum), seems made for the tightness of television. "Fucks" and "shits" aside, Jesus could be a Law & Order episode.

What really does pack a wallop here is Blanka Zizka's production, which throughout has tremendous energy and visual panache. Among the actors, outstanding work is done by John Douglas Thompson (Lucius) and especially Danielle Skraastad (Hanrahan). The one wrong note — but it's a big one — is Vaneik Echeverria's Angel, which, though competently acted, lacks the necessary innocence and lost-boy quality. If Jesus is to grab the audience, it needs to start with Angel.

JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN - Through June 27, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824