"a" train | apprentice notes 2

"Our father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name. Howard? How art? - how? - How-now?...

At the beginning of Jesus Hopped the "A" Train, Angel Cruz is trying to pray- he's in jail, facing charges for shooting a man- seemingly Angel has never been more lost or alone.

I don't think I'm giving too much away by saying that things do, in fact, get much worse for Angel.

Evan the apprentice here. Rehearsals for "A" TRAIN continue this week. Some of the questions that the play poses are really starting to take shape now. Mr. Guirgis starts fast and hard and he doesn't let up.

Angel went to a catholic high school and presumably he has had some kind of relationship with God in the past, but we learn that it has gone by the wayside. Is it convenient that he is trying to rekindle that connection? Is it because he wants to get free at any cost? Does it take him landing in jail to realize what he's lost?

And to believe that Angel has formed some kind of relationship with God is believable, and acceptable to us. His crime seems justifiable and I can certainly relate to his reasons for doing what he does. But what about Lucius Jenkins? A man who has committed reprehensible crimes? Can we accept his relationship with God?

JESUS HOPPED THE "A" TRAIN doesn't shy away from these questions. Actually, the play confronts you with them like a shot to the solar plexus. It's simply the "vibe" of the show.