Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train

See it if you love Guirgis and want to see his prison drama. The actors work very hard - probably too hard. There's poetry here but it's not enough.

Don't see it if the production is unceasingly LOUD; there is no moderation of tone or delivery, so everything tends to blur. It's a series of speeches.

Also As a side note, the legal machinations in the plot are both unnecessary and completely unrealistic.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to dig deep and think about issues of guilt and innocence and religious implications and the criminal justice system.

Don't see it if You want a show that feels urgent or as though it builds. This is performed at one loud note that doesn’t vary.

Also I’m curious if another production of this play might have won me over, but the performers were one note and the staging was stiff. It wasn’t terribly long but felt like a slog even when moving around what felt like should have been more interesting questions... Read more Read less

See it if You want an intelligent and morally good evening of theatre with heavy subject matter

Don't see it if You are interested in seeing something (at all) light.

Also A talented and ambitious but overly-emphatic drama given an effective but forceful staging... Read more Read less

See it if You are a fan of intense theater like long monologues and good acting

Don't see it if you are not in the mood to be deeply depressed

See it if You can take long monologues on religion, guilt, and non-redemption. It's a downer -- everyone fails in some way. But it's well-acted.

Don't see it if You dislike prison plays that don't resolve. There is a lot of talk but it seems to come to nothing.

See it if you want to watch a glorified Law and Order episode.

Don't see it if you're offended by the f-word or are expecting a plot or character development.

See it if You want serious social commentary

Don't see it if You don’t want to be preached to

See it if You enjoy prison dramas, or talk about prayer and religion

Don't see it if Talk about God bores you; you don't like plays that are made up mostly of two-actor scenes and single-actor direct address to the audience

Also In defense of the production, at the performance I saw (Oct 15), one of the actors was a last minute replacement who had only joined the cast earlier in the week, and so was still using his script. He certainly did his best (A for effort), but realistically, this did hurt the production, especially in the second act when he relied pretty heavily on the page in front of him during some important scenes. I have no doubt the production will improve once he has a chance to memorize his lines, so I would suggest, if you have the option, waiting a bit before seeing the show.... Read more Read less