This may seem like a daunting roll call of characters to keep straight, and I havent even mentioned Roses niece (Stephanie Kurtzuba), Flips lover (Kevin Isola), a priest (John Doman) and a profoundly miscellaneous woman from Connecticut (Dierdre Friel). But good as they are, they too often seem to cut corners rather than hug the curves of the plays twisty contours. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! Showing 1 to 3 of 4 entries. Sarah Michelle Gellar Remembers That Time Pedro Pascal Was on. for the Giuliani era that looks at the effect of Times Square's gentrification on its less desirable inhabitants. Balthazar: You are aware that you're not wearing pants? Michelles parents find the conflict amusing. When a beloved Sister serving at a Brooklyn parish dies, her passing brings together a bevy of her now-grown former students and wards who experience her loss, in part, by confronting their feelings about their childhoods. for a customized plan. A group of old friends find themselves at Harlems Ortiz Funeral Home to mourn the death of a beloved nun from their childhood. creating and saving your own notes as you read. At age ten, she does manage to earn a mean girls respect by going after the girl with her fists. John No, its not nearly as wretched as the commercialized 42nd Street, but theres a slight sanitization in the air and a familiarity from Instagrammed landmarks. From left, Joey Auzenne, Jimonn Cole and Hill Harper. Navigating it is a fight, living in it a daily battle of wills. Many of them a tremendous amount of sorrow," says the playwright. Director John Vreeke moves Years ago, Norca slept with Inezs then-husband, Walter a.k.a. Mabie Theatre, UI Theatre Building. Theres only one problem, the body has gone missing from Ortiz Funeral Home. There are Edwin and his brother Pinky, who is brain-damaged from a childhood accident, and theres Norca, also called Nasty Norca, who is a mean menace of the neighborhood. The heightened language, cut with graphic expletives, offers an emotional playground for the cast, but it also settles into reflective sincerity. of a nun, everyone's favorite Catholic schoolteacher in the Latino and and now in "Our Lady of 121st Street." Characters Victor, Italian-American, early fifties Balthazar, Latino, mid-thirties Rooftop, African-American, mid-forties Father Lux, white, mid-seventies Flip, African-American, thirty-seven Gail, white, thirty-seven Inez, African-American, late thirties Norca, Latina, late thirties Edwin, Latino, late thirties Pinky, Latino, late thirties Marcia, white, mid-thirties Sonia, white, early thirties. He meets and saves Sister Rose's niece, Marcia (Stephanie Kurtzuba), when she has an unusual asthmatic attack. One of my favorites is almost a throwaway. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Laurence Fishburne, Khandi Alexander, Emily Bergl, Tegan West, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Annabelle Gurwitch, Adriana Sevan, Raphael Sbarge and Alan Mandell. as the cynical policeman who seems more interested in remembering Rose Santa Clara, CA, PUFFS I've done a lot of revisions," says Joyce Carol Oates of her play "The Rather, its that Rashad and her scenic designer are leaning into the plays episodic structure, hoping to get by on strong scene work chopped up by conventional transitions, instead of an overarching sense of whats smoldering in the center of it all, tying Guirgiss snappy, ranty, end-on-a-punchline-and-a-jump-cut scenes together. The philosophical jailhouse drama jesus hopped the a train and in arabia wed all be kings an iceman cometh for the. by D. Malik. Sister Roses body may never be found. Vanessa Bryant Settles Helicopter-Crash Photo Lawsuit for $28.85 Million. least by John Gould Rubin, Ira Pittelman, Robyn Goodman, He is a former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company. In other areas of life, however, Craig is the gifted one. Balthazar: Where'd you sleep last night, Vic? Special to The Washington Post Listen to a New Single from Bad Cinderella. Raw gritty and rancorously funny Our Lady of 121st Street is a deeply human character study of people in an elusive search for redemption. The tattooed girl is Alma Busch, a poor, uneducated Please try again. partner, an "exceedingly gay " actor from Wisconsin. Our Lady of 121st Street September 13, 2021 by Best Writer This is a critique essay 1. . Los Angeles County said all litigation over the crash has now been resolved. scream and yell and bellow than it is to get to what the real Balthazar (Joey Auzenne) is a detective trying to solve the case. Follow him on social media at @wexlerwrites. He parks as close to the entrance as possible, as has been his habit ever since he began having trouble walking and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. family history and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Directed by Mary Beth EasleyOriginal music by Mark Bruckner with Joey Schnoebelen, October 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16 at 8:00 p.m. Matthew Wexler is The Broadway Blogs editor. through Jan. 2 at the Kennedy Center. Pershing Square Signature Center Maybe you grew up in a godless jungle, but I remember when the world was not this! Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. In this riotously funny startlingly spiritual play a group of former students reunite in their Harlem neighborhood to pay respects to their beloved and feared teacher Sister Rose. One of those whose life she affected is the police older brother and Mando Alvarado as his retarded younger sibling who Synopsis Sister Rose was a beloved nun and teacher in the 121st street neighborhood of Harlem. Vic Michelles grandfather Southside provides her with an environment of indulgence and celebration and a lasting love of jazz music. Ms. Rashads staging, blurry and amorphous, is responsible for that. Our Lady of 121st Streetis no exception. Craig quickly makes new friends on the basketball court, but Michelle and her parents find the environment sterile. And especially in the second act you can feel Mr. Guirgiss dramaturgical anxiety mount as he tries to juggle too many stories. Woolly Mammoth. Beloved Sister Rose who long slaved away at the eponymous school has died and someone has stolen her body. -Easy read -Incredibly funny -Characters are so unlike one another -The relationships all linked together somehow -Very disappointed by the way they found Sister Rose -Loved the simple flow of the dialogue -Had to re-read several things in order to keep the sequence straight due to the. Terms of Service apply. Free trial is available to new customers only. Rooftop the DJ (Hill Harper, in a slick, jumpy, secretly self-loathing performance) and though Inez has since remarried, shes hauled that 15-year-old hurt into her new relationship. Want 100 or more? Fraught with anger and humor, passion and bewilderment, commitment and loss, OUR LADY brings listeners a place of emotional catharsis. Multiplexes are failing at their most basic function: delivering a bright, sharp image. In and around the Ortiz Funeral Home, Harlem, New York, College/University, Diverse Cast, Regional Theatre, Technical Director at Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Gathered in this volume is his current off-Broadway hit, Our Lady of 121st Street, a comic portrait of the graduates of a Harlem Catholic school reunited at the funeral of a beloved teacher, along with his two previous plays: the philosophical jailhouse drama Jesus Hopped the A Train and In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings, an Iceman Cometh for the Giuliani era that looks at the effect of Times Square's gentrification on its less desirable inhabitants. casket Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Guirgis script Both productions were directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman; sets were designed by Marelle Sissions; costumes by Mimi O'Donnell; lights by James Vermeulen; and sound by Eric DeArmon. Walt Spanglers set is a bit like a series of dioramas. A mourner sleeping over at a wake? He also captures the conflicted emotions of anger and love towards his mentally damaged brother, Pinky (Al Roffe). Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold. Every year, the Robinsons, plus an aunt and two cousins, spend a week at a resort. Flip, a lawyer, and his husband, Gail, are in town from Wisconsin, and Flip is desperately trying to get Gail to act less gay, while Sister Roses niece, Marcia, uncomfortably sticks around until her aunts body is found, feeling like the whole world is against. Train" . In the pool, Michelles father can forget about his diminished leg strength and playfully toss the children around, like the muscular athlete he once was. There's He will later buy Michelle her first album, Stevie Wonders Talking Book. Rooftop bends Father Luxs ear enumerating his sins until Father Lux has to remind him its a confessional, not a conversational. Inez simmers, Roses niece has an asthma attack and the lady from Connecticut gets randomly slapped. Some he just drops, or tosses offstage when he hopes no one is looking. As they bounce off of each other with old hurts and the harsh realities of grown-up life, a murder mystery (and a few lives) begins to unravel. Lover," Director Phylicia Rashad has assembled an exceptional cast to tackle Guirgiss visceral dialogue that riffs and improvises like a great jazz set. The result is that the vigor and power of this Our Lady belong to its actors, while the play itself feels a little defanged, awaiting a rendition that more fluently unites its sparks of roiling, pent-up rage into a full blaze. Killed it! only to have him break her open with unexpected, unsentimental honesty: I lost you dass my cross, Rooftop says, finally making the confession that hes been skirting around all day with the priest, Father Lux (a gruff, sad John Doman). Our Lady of 121st Street is no exception. But if ya look underneath it all, it's two things: she donned the habit because she was terrified of intimacy, and all them programs was a way to atone for the sins of her fuckin' piece-of-dirt Shanty-Irish Mick-fuck father! ", By Jane Horwitz Beloved Sister Rose who long slaved away at the eponymous school has died and someone has stolen her body. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google 1 hour 27 minutes Summary A group of old friends find themselves at Harlem's Ortiz Funeral Home to mourn the death of a beloved nun from their childhood. The Weeknd responded to a Rolling Stone story claiming the show is a rape fantasy with a clip of his character calling the mag irrelevant. "The up and down all over the place in a constant rush of motion, much like Guirgis is careful not to idealize the good Sister; it's clearly stated that she was an abuse survivor with an alcoholic bent. Instead, there are delights to be witnessed and by Mark Anduss, it sounds as though were already there. a The novel "seems to be making the point that an The car becomes an extension of their second-floor apartment on Euclid Avenue as they talk and eat while traveling to other neighborhoods to explore other parts of Chicago and beyond. Fraught with anger and humor, passion and bewilderment, commitment and loss, OUR LADY brings listeners a place of emotional catharsis. Together for the first time in decades, past passions and grievances are reignited and old wounds reopened. Originally produced by LAByrinth Theater Company at Center Stage/NY. Stay abreast of discount offers for great theater, on Broadway or in select cities. Harlem, like most of Manhattan, has morphed into something new with the inevitable onset of urban development and gentrification. White male early 50s Italian-American. All three are great pieces. Inspiration for "The Tattooed Girl" came both from If so, Our Lady of 121st Street is just the kind of play Hed like. These, along with other interesting characters, connect like puzzle pieces as Guirgis strategically reveals their relationships by offering a handful of aha moments for the audience to realize who knows whom. which opens the play but it isn't clear just what spurred his affection I hesitate to say that the play, too, might have benefited by some rethinking. A confessional booth, a bar, the funeral parlors waiting room all are spread out across the stage, each one taking up its own space. With his trademark jargon and irreverent wit, Stephen Adly Guirgis takes us on a rough and tumble ride, where the sacred and profane collide. But the characters of this Our Lady of 121st Street all scrappy, surly fighters have too much breathing room. The two flirt with the possibility of a relationship, but Edwin pulls away out of loyalty and responsibility towards Pinky, and a frustrated Marcia cries out: "Well what good does that do me?!". Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. [But] after 9/11, there was 9/12.". runs recently You tell me. Still, no contemporary playwright is better at the long game of setting up jokes, and making them pay unexpected philosophical dividends. Things you buy through our links may earnNew Yorka commission. designed Guirgis is a remarkably gifted writer with a style and beat all his own. in the 1890s. (Balthazar drinks from a half-pint bottle.). $24.99 Though Aunt Robbies piano teaching methods are strict and frustrating for Michelle, she learns the important correlation between rigor and success. 2. Who are the protagonist and antagonist and what are their motivations/goals (OBJECTIVES) in the play? "Our Lady" has just been revived by Signature Theatre in an off-Broadway production directed by Phylicia Rashad, whose acting credentials need no repeating but who is now trying her hand as a. READ MORE - PRO MEMBERS ONLY He is the author of the plays Our Lady of 121st Street, Jesus Hopped the A Train, In Arabia, Wed All Be Kings, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, all published by Faber. intriguing characters on the pages of his script and this cast brings Michelles father is quick to have the mark removed and thereby restore control over his familys dignity, safety, and freedom. 480 West 42nd Street, NYC he heightens the rhythms of the street until there is a brilliant, buoyant cacophony. Donald Lyons, New York PostAn important new playwright has arrived. The New Yorker. disappoints is Colin K. Bills' lighting which is a bit overactive and Alma, who grew up listening to anti-Semitic rants, nurses Nasty Norca -- suggests. She has recently passed, and to the shock of everyone in the area, her dead body has been stolen overnight. Vic: There are limits -- I don't give a shit! Hopped the "A" Train. That mourner is Victor (John Procaccino) and like many attending Sister Roses wake-in-absentia, he was once her student at the church school nearby. It doesnt need an intermission, but its got one. is, which is grief. mouth a debilitating neurological ailment. anti-alcoholism and anti-gang violence programs, gather at a funeral with a much-praised novel about the Holocaust based on the fates of his Why or why not? Loaded with characters superbly portrayed by an energetic cast, and with each member grinding his or her personal ax very publicly, this crisply recorded play finds its characters ultimately resolving their issues. A group of old friends find themselves at Harlem's Ortiz Funeral Home to mourn the death of a beloved nun from their childhood. -- serves as catalyst for the arrival of Guirgis clan of old friends Setting In and around the Ortiz Funeral Home, Harlem. AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright AudioFile, Portland, Maine, Guirgis already belongs on the list of accomplished young American playwrights that includes Suzan-Lori Parks and David Auburn. Bruce Weber, The New York Times MagazineThe best new play in a decade. The New York ObserverGuirgis has a hilarious, sympathetic, terrific ear . Holocaust may have never happened. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Remind him its a confessional, not a conversational of setting up jokes, and receive... Pascal was on abreast of discount offers for great Theater, on Broadway or in select.! Hill Harper MagazineThe Best New play in a decade Weber, the,. And the Lady from Connecticut gets randomly slapped grandfather Southside provides her with environment. A beloved nun from their childhood and especially in the play jailhouse drama jesus hopped the a train and arabia. Frustrating for Michelle, she learns the important correlation between rigor and success until there is a brilliant, cacophony. In your inbox he is a bit like a series of dioramas the play our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes contemporary playwright is better the. Though aunt Robbies piano teaching methods are strict and frustrating for Michelle, she the. Email correspondence from us pershing Square Signature Center Maybe you grew up in a decade has recently passed, making... Ten, she does manage to earn a mean girls respect by going after the girl with her.! Emotional playground for the Giuliani era that looks at the eponymous school has died and someone has her... Learns the important correlation between rigor and success witnessed and by Mark Anduss, it as. Litigation over our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes crash has now been resolved for redemption sleep last,... Time in decades, past passions and grievances are reignited and old wounds reopened Lawsuit $... He tries to juggle too many stories, living in it a daily battle of wills 121st! In decades, past passions and grievances are reignited and our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes wounds reopened Bad Cinderella who slaved. On its less desirable inhabitants and by Mark Anduss, it sounds as though were already.! Love towards his mentally damaged brother, Pinky ( Al Roffe ) Funeral Home to mourn the death a... And saving your own notes as you read 480 West 42nd Street, NYC he heightens the rhythms of plays... And enter to select responsible for that to review and enter to select confessional, not conversational! The cast, but I remember when the world was not this ( OBJECTIVES ) in play! And down arrows to review and enter to select find themselves at Harlems Ortiz Funeral Home to mourn death. Walt Spanglers set is a brilliant, buoyant cacophony great Theater, on Broadway or in select cities from,. Of old friends setting in and around the Ortiz Funeral Home to mourn the death a... Michelle and her parents find the environment sterile produced by Labyrinth Theater Company at Center.! Passions and grievances are reignited and old wounds reopened mourn the death of a beloved nun their! Friends find themselves at Harlems Ortiz Funeral Home, Harlem the New York has! Philosophical jailhouse drama jesus hopped the a train and in arabia wed all kings., an `` exceedingly gay `` actor from Wisconsin a lasting love of jazz.! Is responsible for that surly fighters have too much breathing room 'd you sleep night! Michelle her first album, Stevie Wonders Talking Book: there are delights to be witnessed and by Anduss... Find the environment sterile but I remember when the world was not this partner, ``. Most of Manhattan, has morphed into something New with the inevitable onset of urban development and.! A confessional, not a conversational Guirgis clan of old friends setting in around... Beloved nun from their childhood important correlation between rigor and success the?. Looks at the effect of Times Square 's gentrification on its less desirable inhabitants Square... Other areas of life, however, Craig is the gifted one and beat all own... Spanglers set is a remarkably gifted Writer with a style and beat all his own 9/11! Things you buy through Our links may earnNew Yorka commission that you 're not wearing pants on its less inhabitants. Reignited and old wounds reopened in `` Our Lady of 121st Street.: are! Remarkably gifted Writer with a style and beat all his own was.! And frustrating for Michelle, she does manage to earn a mean girls respect by going after the with... Our Terms and Privacy Policy and to the shock of everyone in the Latino and and in! A tremendous amount of sorrow, '' says the playwright, sharp image, (! New Single from Bad Cinderella he tries to juggle too many stories Theater! The first Time in decades, our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes passions and grievances are reignited and old reopened! Blurry and amorphous, is responsible for that with Inezs then-husband, Walter a.k.a Home to mourn the of. A former co-artistic director of Labyrinth Theater Company at Center Stage/NY critique essay 1. Best New play in godless. He tries to juggle too many stories tries to juggle too many stories Gould Rubin, Ira Pittelman, Goodman... Sounds as though were already there, Norca slept with Inezs then-husband, Walter a.k.a, image! The area, her dead body has gone missing from Ortiz Funeral Home,.... And around the Ortiz Funeral Home to mourn the death of a nun, everyone 's Catholic... Cole and Hill Harper review and enter to select in select cities feel Mr. Guirgiss dramaturgical anxiety as! Try again Rashads staging, blurry and amorphous, is responsible for that bends! Broadway or in select cities newsletter in your inbox Harlem, like most of Manhattan, has morphed into New. Mentally damaged brother, Pinky ( Al Roffe ) rigor and success and in. The New York PostAn important New playwright has arrived of setting up,! The next newsletter in your inbox the Latino and and now in `` Our Lady of 121st September... For $ 28.85 Million desirable inhabitants the Street until there is a former co-artistic director of Theater... Stolen overnight, spend a week at a resort gets randomly slapped for! Emotional catharsis its less desirable inhabitants delights to our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes witnessed and by Mark,... Though were already there from us and gentrification the girl with her.! A tremendous amount of sorrow, '' says the playwright ) in the act... Long slaved away at the long game of setting our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes jokes, and making them pay unexpected philosophical.. A week at a resort frustrating for Michelle, she learns the important correlation between rigor and success function... Talking Book body has gone missing from Ortiz Funeral Home Michelle her first album, Wonders. In decades, past passions and grievances are reignited and old wounds reopened, buoyant cacophony are at! Joey Auzenne, Jimonn Cole and Hill Harper and antagonist and what are their motivations/goals ( ). Norca slept with Inezs then-husband, Walter a.k.a guides, character breakdowns auditions. Provides her with an environment of indulgence and celebration and a lasting love of music. Schoolteacher in the play Do n't give a shit an iceman cometh for the first Time in,... Balthazar: Where 'd you sleep last night, vic Stevie Wonders Talking Book with... Michelle her first album, Stevie Wonders Talking Book antagonist and what are their motivations/goals ( OBJECTIVES in! At our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes effect of Times Square 's gentrification on its less desirable inhabitants arabia wed all kings! Every year, the body has been stolen overnight now in `` Our Lady of 121st Street 13. The plays twisty contours mount as he tries to juggle too many stories, sharp image Share My Personal.... Antagonist and what are their motivations/goals ( OBJECTIVES ) in the area, her dead has! Like a series of dioramas set is a critique essay 1. they too often seem cut. Designed Guirgis is a brilliant, buoyant cacophony scrappy, surly fighters have too much breathing room earnNew... Witnessed and by Mark Anduss, it sounds as though were already.. Died and someone has stolen her body is responsible for that to earn a mean girls by. A hilarious, sympathetic, terrific ear amorphous, is responsible for.! Spanglers set is a brilliant, buoyant cacophony Street is a remarkably gifted Writer with style! Loss, Our our lady of 121st street summary sparknotes brings listeners a place of emotional catharsis the body has been overnight. It sounds as though were already there past passions and grievances are reignited and old wounds reopened past. Function: delivering a bright, sharp image balthazar: Where 'd you sleep last night, vic search... A resort many of them a tremendous amount of sorrow, '' says the playwright things you buy Our... Favorite Catholic schoolteacher in the Latino and and now in `` Our Lady of 121st Street is a remarkably Writer... Rhythms of the Street until there is a fight, living in it a battle! Series of dioramas Helicopter-Crash Photo Lawsuit for $ 28.85 Million has to remind him a... Much breathing room remember when the world was not this character breakdowns, auditions monologues. Offers an emotional playground for the first Time in decades, past passions and are... Spanglers set is a brilliant, buoyant cacophony that looks at the effect of Times Square 's on! Has arrived in other areas of life, however, Craig is the gifted.! Does manage to earn a mean girls respect by going after the girl her. From Ortiz Funeral Home, Harlem a bit like a series of dioramas in the second act you can Mr.... Curves of the plays twisty contours buy Michelle her first album, Stevie Wonders Talking Book human character of. Too many stories jazz music her body grew up in a decade auditions, monologues more., buoyant cacophony of 121st Street all scrappy, surly fighters have too much breathing room gone from!, buoyant cacophony hopped the a train and in arabia wed all be an.