Review: JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN is Profoundly Spiritual at Actor's Express

During the darkest times of our lives, do we not deserve to feel the light? JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN at Actor’s Express is an expertly executed, highly spiritual experience that explores some of the “ugliest” truths a person can have with respect, dignity, and curiosity. Powerfully honest, JESUS HOPPED is a story about two poor, abused, and incarcerated men searching for answers by seeking the divine. Sponsored by the Counter Narrative Project, this is not a show to be missed. 

As you walk into the playing space, you see a tight stage surrounded by the audience on two sides. As you sit down, hopeless prison walls flank you with grey as wire protrudes from the floor and two cages face off against each other. Seamus M. Bourne's scenic design and Nick Battaglia's prop design balance freedom and captivity in a striking way. 

Hernando Claros's lighting design is most often the bright light of indoor fluorescence or the sun itself, shining outdoors. Natural sources occasionally give way to more surreal and colorful moments when we are treated to an immersive artistic vision. Police uniforms and beige prison jumpsuits make up the majority of Nicole Clockel's costume design. However, we are occasionally treated to stylish outfits with more personal touches, such as Angel’s first look and Mary Jane’s last.

Vacillating between the buzzes, hums, and clangs typical of a prison and the unexpected song of bird calls, Tyehimba Shabazz's sound design brings in an almost magical element. We feel grounded in some moments and exalted in others. David Sterritt's fight choreography is quick and decisive as if watching characters "snap" into or out of violence. 

Sekou Laidlow gives a fearless performance as Luicius, the man who killed 8 people. I could tell I was watching a master at their craft as Laidlow took up space onstage. Real, raw, and powerful, Laidlow as Luicius is a sacred experience. 

Luis Hernandez adds more depth and nuance to the character of Vladez than perhaps he deserves. An unnecessarily violent man, Valdez is quick to react with cruelty. In the surprising moments that he chooses temperance, Hernandez’s deep humanity shines through. 

Perhaps because of my past, Cristian Gonzalez’s explosive and introspective anger as Angel felt intimate and familiar. I’d been friends with a man like this once, and Gonzalez brings a deep and unexpected sense of love to the zealous and tragic Angel. 

Nearly a silent presence, Andrew Randolph as [the] Guard brings JESUS HOPPED into existence with some of the first lines of the play. Randolph, with perfect composure, then helps keeps it steady throughout. 

Heartwarmingly genial, Jacob York’s performance as D’Amico is characterized by an enchanting mix of optimism and doubt. The first time we see him, D’Amico is funny and kind. In the next, he is selfish and confused. York plays both sides of the human coin well. 

Whip-smart and fervent, Mary Jane is Angel’s public attorney - who may, or may not, have a savior complex. Cara Mantella’s direct yet off-the-cuff delivery delights throughout. Mary Jane’s stories as told by the straightforward Mantella breathe fresh air into the playing space.  

JESUS HOPPED is a play that directly challenges what polite society expects from theatre. The language starts out foul and gets fouler as characters that we are expected to believe cannot change, do. Transformation, faith, hope, redemption, and pain are at the heart of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s ~2-hour script. Guirgis’s story reminds us that some of the people society most wants to punish are the same ones they have failed the most. JESUS HOPPED asks us, “What if people can be redeemed, changed, and forgiven?”

Eric J. Little’s methodic and passionate directing brings this story alive in a potently urgent way. The world feels systematic, with some entrances and exits so sharp they become militant. Voices get loud in this show as performers sweat and spit across the stage. It is monologue after monologue of salt.

This show will not comfort you; it will show you the truth. JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN at Actor’s Express is a divine-like experience full of passionate storytelling. To quote my favorite line from the show: “Faith is not a gift, it’s a choice.” 

JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN plays at Actor’s Express from June 8th - July 2nd, 2023. Get your tickets here! 

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