Review: 'Jesus Hopped the A-Train' is a searing look at prison life and its effect on men

Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (WHAT) has chosen as its 2023 season opener “Jesus Hopped the A Train,” a work that is at once fiery to the point of being explosive and yet deeply moving.

It delves into the battered souls of two prisoners ― one an accused murderer awaiting trial and the other a convicted serial killer ― in Rikers Island Prison in the late 1990s. The theater’s artistic director, Christopher Ostrom, used the word humane again and again when asked to describe the work.

“The play is deeply humane; it peers into the souls of two people who have been severely damaged by their lives. Sometimes a theater is lucky enough to get its hands on a show that is so moving we just have to do it.”

About the production:

"Jesus Hopped the A Train,” written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Sherri Eden Barber, presented by Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

What it's about:

The show opens on a stark set of black prison walls with young prisoner Angel Cruz (Pedro Gonzalez) kneeling and desperately trying to remember the words to “The Lord’s Prayer.” He is clearly terrified and trying to summon help from a God with whom he has lost touch. He is surrounded by the threatening background “music” of a steady flow of curses from unseen fellow inmates. Enter his young attorney, Mary Jane (Jessie Cannizzaro), a public defender who is laboring to gain his acquittal. (Her client has been accused of shooting a noted cult leader, who subsequently dies from medical complications.) Cannizzaro also serves as liaison to the audience, periodically offering background information and commentary. She deftly makes the transition from character to narrator, forging a deep relationship with the audience.

Then there is convicted serial killer Lucius Jenkins (Shakur Tolliver), who we first see furiously doing calisthenics in the prison yard. He has “found Jesus,” and is on a first-name basis with the God that Cruz can’t seem to find. From the start, Tolliver imbues the role with a deep, physical energy that is the perfect counterpoint to Gonzalez’s darkly tragic and deeply moving characterization of Cruz. The two face off in the prison yard scenes, where they’re taken for daily exercise sessions.

Highlights of the show:

This show shines a searing spotlight on the relationships between the five cast members (Gonzalez, Cannizzaro and Tolliver are joined by Drae Campbell as kindly prison guard Charlie and John J. Concado as sadistic guard Valdez. Campbell plays Charlie as an angel bearing Oreos and cigarettes, while Concado offers a portrayal of a club-wielding devil incarnate.

The actors paint portraits in sometimes-vivid and sometimes-dark colors that are at the foundation of this show.

Should you see it?

Here’s the truth: When the show opened with a dark theater and string of curses, I was uncomfortable. But before I knew what happened I was sitting on the edge of my seat, absolutely mesmerized by the raw emotion the actors’ performances evoked. I realized I had to relearn an important lesson: Sometimes we need to be uncomfortable to see life clearly.

Worth noting:

The stark set is the perfect background for the show, allowing the audience to focus on the actors’ performances. And scenic and lighting designer Ostrom employs a particularly effective lighting technique, with configurations of square patches of light meant to stand for prison yard enclosures.

One more thing:

Note that this is definitely an R-rated show. Best to leave the youngsters at home.

Interesting fact:

Ostrom notes that in 2017, when he first came to WHAT, he and director Barber were drawn to the show.

“But I felt we weren’t ready to take on the play at that time. Sadly, this deep look at the horrors of the criminal justice system is still relevant today.”

Tickets and showtimes for Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater's 2023 season opener 'Jesus Hopped the A Train'

8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, through June 17. Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, 2357 Old Route 6 Road (off Route 6), Wellfleet, 508-349-9428, www.what.org, tickets: $40 orchestra, $36 orchestra senior, $15 students, with $2.50 fee added to each ticket.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Review: 'Jesus Hopped the A-Train' is painful, powerful look at prison