Joe Hoover Will Perform LITURGY at American Theatre of Actors, Beckmann Theatre

Playwright/actor Joe Hoover will perform his new solo play Liturgy, this week for four performances only at American Theatre of Actors, Beckmann Theatre, 314 W. 54th St., New York, NY, 10019, Thursday and Friday, April 21 and 22, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 23, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Liturgy is directed by Jim Shankman.

Liturgy is a funny and touching tilt-a-whirl tour through the mind of a man named Daniel. Daniel loves his God, his church, and his wife... and there's this woman at the office. Taking place in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday in church, Liturgy is for all of us who have ever wondered what the man sitting next to us is thinking. We get to hear the sometimes ridiculous, sometimes heartbreaking inner-most thoughts we normally never get to hear, in a quandary we have all-too often seen.

As playwright and actor, Hoover brings a fascinatingly unique perspective to the script. He is a brother in the Jesuits, the Catholic religious order of priests and brothers known as the Society of Jesus, founded almost 500 years ago by Spanish soldier-turned-mystic Ignatius of Loyola. Through Liturgy, Hoover explores human desire when it is forbidden by one's vows. The character, unlike the playwright, has not taken a vow of celibacy, but he has taken a vow to his wife. What will he decide to do? Liturgy also delves into today's church and the state of Sunday masses.

Tickets are $20, available at eventbrite.com. Liturgy runs 75 minutes with no intermission.