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Angel Cruz and Lucius Jenkins face murder charges. When the cult leader dies during surgery, Angel suddenly finds himself facing murder charges. Kim's described affect on Joey, the friend Angel fought so hard to free from a cultish existence built by a false prophet. But in the next cell to Angel is an articulate serial killer called Lucius who has found God and who tries . 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. When "Jesus Hopped The A Train" begins, you think it's 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. There is even something endearing about the crime that put him in prison: He shot a cult leader in the butt while trying to rescue a friend. by Stephen Adly Guirgis. But Lucius feels like a culmination of that journey, taking the charisma of his Martin Luther King, Jr. (in The Mountaintop), the passion of Kenyatta Shakur (in Sunset Baby), the world-weariness of Lincoln (in Topdog/Underdog) and, along with a streak of psychosis, funneling it into a wholly new and wholly lived-in performance. Lucius Jenkins is on appeal, trying to avoid the death penalty for the murder of eight people. He shares an isolation wing with Angel, placed there for protection after he was attacked and raped while on remand. Furthermore, staging it in the round allows the guard Valdez (a smug and pitiable character played very well by Joplin Sibtain) to roam all levels of . We are working with an Equity-approved safety plan that includes vaccination, testing, masking, cleaning and distancing protocols. 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. New York, NY, Linda Ray New York, NY, Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall Story. Angel Cruz - (20s /Latino) A young man Incarcerated at Rikers Island Prison. After that line, the play instantly becomes an obscenity oratorio in which vicious, muscular dialogue, appropriate to its setting, turns into gorgeous music. Angel (John Ortiz) and Lucius (Ron Cephas Jones) are in lock-down, spending all but one hour a day in their cells. Barrow Group. Some movie actress, she got incested once or twice, she so brave to come forward! George Jetson Birthday, While the sermonic Lucius speaks of redemption before God, of renouncing darkness and embracing salvation, the early interactions between client and lawyer feel underweight in comparison. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Angel holds out that he was justified and his lawyer's sure that a hearts-and-minds appeal will get him off at trial. . With the criminal-justice system the subject of much scrutiny, Short North Stages production of Jesus Hopped the A Train seems timely. 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. about justice and redemption, whats right and wrong, and the power of belief. 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. 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. Dont be a God-fearing man, Valdez warns Lucius, be a Valdez-fearing man.. It starred Edi Gathegi, Sean Carvajal, Ricardo Chavira, Stephanie DiMaggio, and Erick Betancourt. What about my victimization? Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train Theatre Review. And In one particularly impressive monologue, Adjepong's Lucius exercises whilst addressing his religious beliefs; the actor's energy doesn't falter once as he performs . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train reveals a young playwright's awkwardness with its overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues. Author bio(s) $13.00. Hes angry, lonely, frustrated and struggling with his faith/spirituality. Lucius is a serial . Two contrasting prison guards, although convincingly portrayed by Quinn M. Johnson Charlie DAmico (good-guy, likable Charlie DAmico) and Justin Picado (strict, cruel Valdez), remain schematic. This leads you to expect Jerry Orbach, or a neat denouement that Mr. Guirgis is not about to provide. Seeking 2 Actor Team for Spring It is as vital now as it was at the turn of the millennium. THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL at New York Theatre Workshop, THE WALLS HAVE EARS at The Roxy Theatre Group, Gulfshore Playhouse 2023-24 Season at Gulfshore Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2023 Season at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE 2023 SEASON at Westport Country Playhouse. Collective Consciousness Theatre, the black box theater in Erector Square with a penchant for urban dramas and works by authors of color, is back with its first production of the season: Stephen Adly Guirgis' sobering Jesus Hopped the A Train.First produced in 2000, the play sets up a situation where crime and punishment . agrees to represent him. 0. Another effect may be an accident of timing, but todays viewers may connect most to Guirgis 2000 play when one prisoner says: Were in lockdown no contact whatsoever.. His first five plays were directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and subsequently received critically acclaimed productions in New York and London. Rehearsal: May 28 - July 7, 2018. . Thats astonishing, as their roles are killers in more ways than one. Stephen Adly Guirgis' Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is an explosive, verbose play set in the maximum security wing of the infamous Rikers' Island prison in New York. T.Schreiber. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. A great feeling., Justin Steele and 6 Chicago Cubs relievers combine for the 1st spring training no-hitter in franchise history. Good cop is D'Amico (a warm and sturdy Robert Heinly), who exemplifies kind-hearted compassion. Portland Monthly; Seattle Met; Sarasota Magazine; Aspen Sojourner; Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine; Park City Magazine; Houstonia Magazine 2799 Katy Freeway, Suite 250, Houston, TX 77007 Phone: 713-862 . Thats not to say everything in Jesus works so well. The monologue from which the play takes its name was a low point in an otherwise thrillingly paced drama. Angel (John Ortiz) and Lucius (Ron Cephas Jones) are in lock-down, spending all but one hour a day in their cells. Their monologues are all interesting, at least, but Guirgis was mainly interested in having Angel and Lucius debate. Lucius Jenkins - (40s/50s/Black) He is a charismatic, confident convicted serial killer but he has a strong Christian faith since being incarcerated. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit. 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. Perhaps the most stirring monologue of the play comes from . Jesus Hopped the A Train tells the story of several inmates of Rikers Prison who are awaiting charges for murder. Some prisoners go out of their minds when confined to the 23-hour isolation wing of Rikers Island prison. Theres much about Lucius and Angel act as spiritual foils. . But as Lucius works his sociopathic charm on Angel, he begins to open up little by little. "Our Father, who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name . Willis design are deceptively simple. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! It opened on the Pershing Square Signature Center's Irene Diamond Stage on October 23, 2017, and ran until November 26th, 2017. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. A lot of what we hear from the lawyer is in the form of direct address, and these monologues lack the poetry (brute or not) of the rest. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Gender: Male. Jesus Hopped the "a " Train( main work) . He has rightly focused instead on shaping the cast into a superlative ensemble despite a series of setbacks: Both Mr. Carvajal and Mr. Gathegi, who are excellent, were late replacements. Kate Hewitts production and Magda Plot synopsis. But after DAmico is canned for slipping Lucius contraband cookies, hes left without an audience. AE is fully committed to diversity, inclusion and equal employment opportunity. Jesus Hopped the A Train. But youd be wrong. Re-read the monologue. Angel Cruz and Lucius Jenkins face murder charges. Jesus Hopped was fairly well received by critics and though it did not pick up any major awards in its US run, it was nominated for an Olivier Award in the UK in the category of Best New Play in 2003. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! Set in Rikers Island, the notorious New York City jail, Guirgis' play traces the parallel fates of two inmates Lucius (D'Wayne Taylor), a serial killer known as "the Black Plague," and Angel (Johnathan Nieves), a young Puerto Rican. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. The reverend subsequently, and indirectly, dies. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train is a graphic and disturbing deep dive into prison life and faith. One of the most striking things about Soulpepper's Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is how multi-dimensional its main characters are. Collective Consciousness Theatres 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 Delossantos (Angel), Rob Giardian (DAmico), Jason Hall (Valdez), Bridget McCarthy (Mary Jane Hanrahan) & Terrence Riggins (Lucius). Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. These scenes are separated by blackouts and a . Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train does not offer a clear verdict, even while it implicitly criticises the judicial and penal systems of America. 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 . Free will versus actions determined by the circumstances of our existence. Even if Guirgis' play doesn't always add up, the individual pieces are highly watchable. 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. But it also displays incendiary passion and insight into its troubled characters". 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, . Yet, Jesus Hopped the A Train may be trickier to perform, with its passions verging on melodrama and its frequent alternating monologues sometimes telling rather than showing. Short North Stage will stream Jesus Hopped the A Train through June 27.Tickets cost $15. clean in its execution, and one which gives the illusion (conversely) of space, Angel, on the other hand, acquires the nickname of Droopy Dog. Equity actors for roles in JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Playing Lucius Jenkins, a fellow inmate convicted of murdering eight people, Riggins delivers the kind of . Jesus beautifully toys with that idea, like in Mary Janes monologue about her alcoholic father. Intermission is thrilled to be hosting the inaugural theatre reviews of the Emerging Arts Critics Programme 2019/20 season. Stephen Adly Guirgis' Pulitzer Prize-winning "Between Riverside and Crazy" gets its local debut at Steppenwolf in June. One has been serving his sentence for years, but his discovery of God helps him find joy in his days. You might even think that those first two scenes play just a little too broadly. light and freedom. The cast of "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" by Eclipse Theatre. "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" bristles with anger, fear and inescapable sadness. It was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman (yes, that Philip Seymour Hoffman) and ran until the end of December that same year. Angel (Sean Carvajal) is being held pending trial for the shooting of a Reverend Kim, the leader of a religious organization modeled on Sun Myung Moons Unification Church. and Hanrahans monologues to gain an air of a courtroom. If you dont have access to a reader, please present a monologue in the style of the show. Productions But when the Reverend dies in hospital, Angel lands in solitary confinement next to Lucius, a card-carrying Christian serial-killer. Stephen Adly Guirgis' 2000 play, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train follows Angel Cruz and God-lover Lucius Jenkins, as they navigate life in a prison on Rikers Island in New York. For one hour each day both men share adjacent cages on Rikers Island. It allows Lucius evangelism to soar Truth versus lies. Their ongoing debates become the tortured heart of the play, and sometimes put the play itself at risk of becoming didactic. Publication date 2002 Topics . It's a tight, well-paced and thoughtful staging . on the Internet. . 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. Dogg as sound designer. In one particularly impressive monologue, Adjepong's Lucius exercises whilst addressing his religious beliefs; the actor's energy doesn't falter once as he performs . All you can really hear is the thundering heartbeat of each man's fear. Lucius Jenkins Show Jesus Hopped the A Train Gender Male Age Range Adult, Mature Adult Role Size Lead Time & Place rikers island prison, new york, present day Tags angry christian serial killer smug confident charisma Analysis Charismatic and confident, Lucius is a convicted serial killer in READ MORE - PRO MEMBERS ONLY But the intriguing Eric Aviles as Angel and E. Milton Wheeler as Lucius, a serial killer who's supposedly found Jesus . One of the most striking things about Soulpepper's Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train is how multi-dimensional its main characters are. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. Lucius Jenkins - (40's/50's/Black) He is a charismatic, confident convicted serial killer but he has . 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 . (Kevin Scott's grimy set and Kevin Hagan's harsh lighting capture the joyless world of the jail yard.). He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. But when performed, as it is here, by a cast that can recreate its rapture as well as its moral gravity, it achieves the doubleness of great art, burrowing deeper the higher it flies. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. 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. Search all monologues. Jesus Hopped the A Train. What Does Cameron Call His Style Of Rhythm?, "[15] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter reviewed a 2017 revival favorably, praising the "incisive characterizations and riveting dialogue". Whilst Angel Cruz (Ukweli Roach) is locked up in prison for a murder accusation after he . Lucius has found God and been reborn. [16] In 2018, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train was ranked by The New York Times writers as the 14th best American play of the previous 25 years. One gets the sense that, with only a slight reversal of fate, Valdez and Mary Jane could have easily ended up going down a dark path with Angel serving as their subsequent lawyer. The play is essentially a set of monologues stitched together at the edges, and showing signs of fraying. New York, NY, Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall The Kean Theatre Conservatory will open its 2016-2017 season this week with Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis (October 14 - 22, Zella Fry Theatre). 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. . Short North Stages streaming production, which continues through June 27, is well-acted and tightly staged. The shooting was part of Angels plan to rescue his best friend, whom the cult had stolen and brainwashed. Qty: Full Length, Drama 4 men, 1 woman Total Cast: 5, Flexible Set ISBN-13: 978--8222-1799-2. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. But me? Guirgis tosses a lot of moral questions into the mix here, and while he avoids moralizing (as does Anish Jethmalani's crisp and high-octane production), he also doesn't seem to have fully decided whether he's writing a searing portrait of the dehumanization of the correctional system or a theological deconstruction of the rock of faith in a hard place. Its also clear that our preconceived notions of these characters color the way we view them. 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 Apply for Rights. Visceral Adventure . Scotiabank Rising Teammates, An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. it in the round allows the guard Valdez (a smug and pitiable character played very View All Characters in Jesus Hopped the A Train. Elysium Theatre deserve much credit for bringing Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train to Manchester for the first time. In 2018, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train was ranked by The New York Times writers as the 14th best American play of . If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor. View Jesus_Hopped_the_A_Train from THE 100 at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College. The first, Charlie D'Amico (Erick Betancourt), is soon fired for doing a variety of favors for Lucius. What Does Cameron Call His Style Of Rhythm? Nah, people doan wanna hear bout none a that! well by Joplin Sibtain) to roam all levels of the auditorium, in turn creating He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. 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) Performances: Wednesday-Saturday 8:00 pm; Please note that Actors Express has committed to five-day work weeks. Singhateh is compelling as evangelising killer Lucius, his performance cleverly toying with the audience's sympathies as he slips between charming bonhomie and cold-bloodedness. In fact, that symmetry is present in almost every character. Guide written by. "Our Father, who art in . 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. . 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 lucius monologue. An inmate at Rikers (ANGEL) struggles with his new circumstances as he tries to convince his fellow inmate (LUCIUS) to speak to him. [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. . Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train reveals a young playwright's awkwardness with its overwritten passages and reliance on expository monologues.But it also displays . Lucius; CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College THE 100. the shock of the charismatic Lucius' descriptions of his own murders, and finally, the 'A' train itself. -+ Ravi Ghosh . "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 . Stuart. 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. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train. . Please prepare one of the sides available at https://actors-express.com/get-involved/ . [17], Michael Billington of The Guardian, who had given the play three out of five stars in 2002,[18] gave the same rating after a 2019 performance and said that "for all the vividness of the dialogue, the play still strikes me as baffling in its exploration of guilt, faith and redemption." THE COVID-19 MONOLOGUES; . Yet, "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" may be trickier to perform, with its passions verging on melodrama and its frequent alternating monologues sometimes telling rather than showing. As long as these interviews maintain the plays furiously Socratic tone, they enhance the idea that making good choices in an evil world is nearly beyond the human skill set. 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. Valdez - (30s/40s/Ltino) He is the sadistic guard assigned to Lucius at Rikers. Hes a violent, racist jerk and not much else, although casting Hall in the role does give it some interesting subtext. Was it my free will to be an undiagnosed manic-depressive paranoid schizophrenic?! they come through these characters whose unbridled sense of humour, stories, 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. At a glance Short North. Lucius has done terrible things but now he has found God. Riggins has done terrific work at Collective Consciousness before. Our Father, who art in heaven, he stammers, Harold be thy name.. Those arguments are eternal, as the frequent biblical references suggest. Opened Oct. 23, 2017. Angel Cruz and Lucius Jenkins face murder charges. one hour of sunlight a day and he has all of the, Adly Guirgis raises questions Explore, Explain, and argue. Much of it also seems unneeded and diverting. Aint no disease a addiction for me, its free will.. 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. "[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. Equitys contracts prohibit discrimination. Jesus Hopped the "A" Train by Kerry Reid March 14, 2002 August 19, . Jesus Hopped the A Train Barbara and Scott Siegel New York City December 26, 2000 John Ortiz is Angel Cruz in Jesus Hopped The A Train (Photo: Jamie Mullians) Stephen Adly Guirgis, whose In Arabia,. Submit at https://actors-express.com/get-involved/ . A monologue from the play Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train by Francesco Di MaioShot and Directed by Hitop Films. . RECOMMENDED Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Stephen Adly Guirgis got his break in 2000 with "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train," a play that in 2016 feels distressingly timeless. Email auditions@actorsexpress.com if you have questions. Although some of its pungent dialogue verges on debate and a few monologues seem too on the nose, Stephen Adly Guirgis off-Broadway drama ultimately transcends ideology to offer a poignant portrait of human fallibility and good intentions gone astray. The two convicts talk about God and redemption, free-will, racism, addiction and the meaning of freedom. 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. Synopsis Jesus Hopped the A Train tells the story of several inmates of Rikers Prison who are awaiting charges for murder. and Lucius (D'Wayne Taylor) in Eclipse Theatre's production of "Jesus Hopped the A Train" by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Anish Jethmalani. In one particularly impressive monologue, Adjepong's Lucius exercises whilst addressing his religious beliefs; the actor's energy doesn't falter once as he performs . 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). Jesus Hopped the A Train is a . 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 . In the Signature Theater revival of Stephen Adly Guirgis' "Jesus Hopped the A Train . Seeking 2 Actor Team for Spring Angel Cruz. 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. It then returned to New York City as writer Stephen Adly Guirgis began his residency at Signature Theatre Company. Lucius Jenkins. Contents 1 Plot synopsis 2 Productions 3 Reception 4 References 5 External links Plot synopsis The play takes place in a prison on Rikers Island in New York. These near-monologues are often gorgeous, but they can also be weirdly self-negating; in 'A' Train, they don't even always make sense. Above, over 40 white spot lights illuminate this catwalk. The burdens of the outside world are crushing, and in the little time these two share outdoors in their separate cages shows the strain. "Angel Cruz is a thirty-year-old bike messenger from NYC who has lost his best friend to a religious cult. society, are remarkabl. Early on in the play, Valdez has a monologue-which may appear to be his only redeeming moment in the play. Angel Cruz, a poor Puerto Rican, isn't . . Isaac. The themes are smartly presented and evident without having public defender Mary Jane (Bridget McCarthy) say one mans neurotic is another mans hero, and who, ultimately, can say which ones which with any real certainty at all? The guard Valdez is not given the depth and nuance doled out to the other characters.