Play at 1st Stage explores the world of the incarcerated
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By David Siegel
With pounding performances from fiercely committed actors, audiences at 1st Stage witness the nightmare world of the incarcerated. It is a transfixing and unapologetic tale. The searing production is “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, appearing through Oct 8 in Tysons Corner.
As co-directed by Alex Levy and Juan Francisco Villa, “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train” does not allow the audience to look away. Levy and Villa aim to have audiences surrender into the unease that playwright Guirgis created.
The play follows parallel lives of two prisoners, a guard, and a public defender. It focuses on a young man, Angel Cruz, incarcerated in New York City’s Rikers Island for shooting a man he thinks was a charlatan who brainwashed his best friend into entering a religious cult.
Cruz faces murder charges. His stay at Rikers is traumatic, as he becomes a target for others. He is placed in protective solitary confinement with only one hour a day outside his cell. It is outside where he meets a mesmerizing con-man, a serial killer named Lucius, who is known as the “Black Plague.” Lucius has also “found” God. For Lucius, God becomes his protective factor from all humiliations.
Cruz is played by Luis Albert Gonzalez, who gives his character a numbed, terrified appearance of someone shell-shocked and in disbelief. Over time, his confidence comes to the fore. He finds his voice and speaks out like a Biblical Job arguing to make his case to God or whomever will listen to him.
Frank Britton’s Lucius is a livewire; an inspired, effortless, piercing presence. There is also a grace in his movements and a mystical allure, as he stalks the small spaces that are his on stage.
While characters Cruz and Lucius are firmly the main focus, there are several others who have their turns in the spotlight. There is a disillusioned public defender (played with aplomb, heart, and moxie by Teresa Castracane). There is also a tough-talking, verbally vindictive and intimidating corrections officer, played by Jose Guzman with a voice that could cut metal.
The stark, unrelenting, in-the-round set by Jessica Cancino and harsh, hellish lighting by Brittany Shemuga are powerful additions to the joyless world the production captures. There is no privacy, tight quarters, and little comfort.
“Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train” is probing and visceral. It is most remarkable for its high-caliber acting talent. The production is spell-binding.
Where and when: “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train” appears through Oct. 8 at 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons Corner. Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. There is adult language. Tickets are $33 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $15 for students and military members. Buy tickets online or call the box office, 703-854-1856.
This
piece is based on a review by David Siegel that appeared in The Connection.