Jesus Hopped the A Train

by Stephen Adly Guirgis

"Its aggressive high-octane style is like a shot of caffeine straight in the veins" - Lyn Gardner, Guardian 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. 'All I did was shoot him in the ass', he explains to his long-suffering lawyer Mary Hanrahan. But when the Reverend dies in hospital, Angel lands in solitary confinement next to Lucius, a card-carrying Christian serial-killer. Angel holds out that he was justified and his lawyer's sure that a hearts-and-minds appeal will get him off at trial. But then, in a knife-edge final discussion before Lucius is sent to the electric chair, Angel extraordinarily finds that he too is turning towards the faith that he has so far shunned, thus jeopardising his own case against the born-agains. This is a truth-telling, cage-rattling play about faith, justice and diminishing options in an American prison.A 2001 Edinburgh Festival and Off-Broadway hit, the play's London premieres at the Donmar Warehouse in March 2002.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Fiction, Religion

Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Stephen Adly Guirgis is an American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He is a member and a former co-artistic director of New York City's LAByrinth Theater Company. His plays have been produced both Off-Broadway and on Broadway, as well as in the UK. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma]

An LA Theater Works production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's play about Angel Cruz, a Puerto Rican who is in jail after a prank turned badly: He shoots Reverend Kim in the, uh, posterior, after Kim, a rich hypocrite preacher, brainwashed his best friend. But the guy dies, and the Angel is in solitary, stuck there with Lucius, a born-again Christian serial-killer.

This can't be just read; it needs to be performed, heard and preferably seen, but I at least heard it. It is audacious language, often crude, a New York street play, and yet there are nods to Greek drama. The play opens with Angel praying the Lord's prayer in the night, with a jail (Greek) chorus echoing "shut the F--- up" after every phrase.

Underneath all the jailhouse profanity and insanity is a play about faith and redemption, even though you admire no one in it. And you laugh at the sheer audacious language. Interesting to read this after reading a couple Shaw plays, where similarly great male speakers are featured for their bombast, though one fave character here is a Jewish defense lawyer for Angel who can match the boys at muscular and lyrical NYC language and argumentation.

[Theo Logos]

”Cause I tell you right now, if Jesus Christ existed, and I ain’t saying he did, but if by some miracle he actually did, the motherfucker didn’t ski!”

Furiously fast, profoundly profane, and heartbreakingly hilarious, Stephen Aldy Guirgis’s play tackles crime, punishment, redemption and bullshit using Rikers Island as his stage. A quartet of characters — a brash, young defendant, his jaded lawyer, a celebrity convict, and brutal guard — verbally jab, spar, pontificate, and obfuscate as they debate matters of right and wrong, guilt and innocence, redemption and retribution. It is brutal, clever, funny, and sad, with only lives and careers as the stakes.

[A. V.]

Who is worth forgiveness? Who is owed a chance at redemption and who is not? We are all corrupted, but only some punished... do we as society have the tools to progress to a more fair implementation of justice? Or is that what a belief in God is for? To absolve the complicated issue and be unburdened by the possibility that humans are innately unjust. This is what this play made me think about. Quite relevant for us all to consider after the high profile Zimmerman trial.

[Vladimiro Sousa]

It is a powerful and thought-provoking play. Follows the story of Angel Cruz, a young Puerto Rican man who is incarcerated in New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail after shooting a cult leader. The play explores Angel's relationships with his fellow inmates, his lawyer, and the chaplain of the prison. Guirgis is a master at exploring complex themes and emotions through his characters, and "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train" is no exception. The play raises questions about justice, redemption, and faith, and is filled with intense and emotionally charged moments. Each of the inmates has their own distinct personality and backstory, and the audience is able to get a glimpse into their lives and the circumstances that led them to end up in jail. The relationships between the characters are complex and often strained, but they are also filled with moments of tenderness and compassion. The dialogue is sharp and engaging, and the pacing of the play keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

Guirgis is a talented playwright with a gift for exploring complex themes through his characters, and this play is a shining example of his work.

[Ruben]

Good play. Beautiful language (bit wordy), enticing characters. Took me almost two weeks to read.

[fawnie]

oh wow i think ive found a new thing to love... reading playscripts and actually enjoying them was not on the bingo card but hey.. not complaining

[Laur]

Well. I think this play hit differently in the current 'political climate' we are in right now. So it was A LOT. And the swearing was definitely too much for me, and watching it would be quite the thing with every other word being the f word whenever Cruz speaks. But it really was a well thought out interesting look at what it might be like in solitary for these two characters.

Lost a couple stars for all the swearing and the ending, even though it made sense, I didn't want that to be the end I suppose.

Definitely not a distraction to what is happening right now, but an interesting thought provoking read that really makes you turn inwards on who 'deserves' forgiveness, and who can offer it to you, even when you have done something unforgivable. Can you be forgiven? And do we even want those people to be forgiven? ALL the questions.

[Christine]

An interesting investigation of life in prison, the role of God in the lives of the incarcerated, and (to a lesser extent) the legal system. There were parts of this text where reading it was difficult because it took me some time to adjust to the speech patterns, but at the same time I liked that it was written exactly as it was intended to be pronounced. The play was at its most interesting, in my opinion, during the passage that explains the title of the piece. A good cast could make this quite compelling, but I do have concerns that it would be difficult to sit through without performers capable of locating and capitalizing on its nuances.

[Jake Kilroy]

A wild, solid play about how we perceive, allow, and evolve the act of forgiving ourselves—this is, of course, explored through the extreme arcs of one newly incarcerated person having shot a pastor and one incarcerated person nearing their clock for having tortured and murdered eight random individuals. There's some zig-zag until you see how one person's faith in God and redemption by way of accepting their own violence as cruelty can be enough to exit the world or enter their next phase as someone fully absorbed with and cognizant of how one's actions affect the world for both them and their fellow people.

[Daisy Leather]

This is possibly a play that means more on reflection, so I'm going to sleep on it for now and think it all out in the morning. Very interesting concept and setting. Some very interesting ideas about morality, forgiveness and the justice system in America.
But, like I said, I need to unpick them further in my brain. And then my rating might go up too!
One thing I will say though is that I felt there was too much swearing. For the sake of swearing. I understand the representation of gritty men, hardened by life and what they have gone through, but really? Does anyone actually swear THAT much?

[Gareth Davies]

Such a powerful story.
I loved the different people that gave the monologues to the audience and it was very interesting that those were the white characters.
The ending is so surprising and is framed so beautifully that it is from Mary’s perspective after she has already been disbarred.
The last conversation between Lucius and Angel discussing what it means to be good in the eyes of god is just so challenging for any audience and really asks you to think.
Having the show begin with such aggressive swearing could turn our audience off.

[Craig Werner]

Strong prison drama carried by the vernacular voices of the inmates, guards, and public defender as they struggle with questions of responsibility. The drama rests largely on the extent to which we believe the characters speak from a honest sense of self and the extent to which they're creating characters they hope can shape the outcome of their cases.

[Ryan Hake]

I loved listening to the audio performance version. Sobbing during my walk. Cracking up as I cross the street. Reflecting down the cemetery. It was a good walk. Great writer. I love the rhythms and pacing throughout. I performed as Judas Iscariot in college and always wanted to read more of his work. Glad I did!

[Brian McCann]

Raw, but compelling. Language not for the faint of heart.

[Ayasha Nordiawan]

..... what .... did i just read ...

[Thomas]

A bit ham-handed at times, but really earnestly explores morality and mortality and religion across eras.

[Cache]

3.5.
Some of the conversations are forced and a play that asks and ponders the hard questions is always a hard sale.

[Christy]

Strong play with vivid characters

[JCSmith]

4pw, i get too excited when i identify biblical resonances... sorry i'm in the bible fandom...

[Yana]

I read this for my acting class. Idk how to rate this, it was a crazyyy read! Very thought provoking 😱

[Phoebe (*´￫ܫ￩｀*)]

The ending felt a little cut off, but a really good and engaging story.

[Adam Lauver]

excellent play about (in)justice, faith, cruelty and forgiveness.

[Olívia]

U did it again, u crazy son of a gun

[Lily the Bibliophile]

I am playing Mary Jane, and damn. This play is so good, I genuinely feel honored that I get to be a part of it. Just reading it made me cry.

Also, give it up for Stephen Adly Guirgis for being able to write dialogue where every sentence is so realistic, and the different cadences come to life on the page to the point where it feels like the characters walked into your living room and started speaking to you the second you opened the play.

I will not forget this one for a long time.

Edit: I just finished my run of Jesus Hopped the A Train, and it has fundamentally changed me as an actress and as a person. I will be forever grateful to this play. It has redefined the meaning of theater for me.

[Letitia]

One of the most disturbing and emotionally riveting plays I saw this year. The performances were mediocre, but the writing was flawless. Be prepared for a rough ride, however. Nothing is glossed in this jailhouse drama.

[Tanya]

A very disturbing, and at times puzzling play about prisoners. Their background stories at times feel like they have been copied out of a newspaper. Can be a bit confusing at times and tedious to follow.

[Andrew]

I read this a while ago. The theater company I'm involved with performed this, so I've had time to really digest this play. It's really engaging and abrasive. There are some legal plot holes, however, but they don't detract from the show I think.

[Kelly]

Stories about prisoners and life in prison fascinate me, so this was right up my alley. It's a pretty terrific play - but I think I'd only be interested in seeing it with experienced actors. It ain't "actor proof" by any stretch.

[Michelle]

I would LOVE to see this on stage! I became very invested in Angel. I could see this in my head as if were being performed. Jesus Hopped the A Train was both heart wrenching and hilarious. The banter was spot on and the plot was intense. One of the best plays I have read in a long time.

[Kevin]

Phenomenal. Saw play. Had pleasure of seeing Carl Lumbly play Lucius. Unforgettable line: "Faith is a decision."