Jesus Hopped the !A' Train November 16, 2008

Raven begins its 26th season with 'Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train,' by Stephen Adly Guirgis, the playwright responsible for 'The Last Days of Judas Iscariot' and 'Our Lady of 121st Street.' Guirgis' plays mine his conflicted youth (attending Catholic parochial school in Harlem) to combine spiritual and religious themes with the rough streets of New York. His work is controversial and at times ferocious, but also stimulating and fiercely intelligent, inspiring audiences to question and debate long after they leave the theatre. 'Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train,' a powerful and gritty urban drama, centers on Angel Cruz, a young Latino man in jail for shooting a religious cult leader. Also in prison is a born-again serial killer who raises the question: Is faith enough to save those who have not practiced what they believe?