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Our Lady of 121st Street by Stephen Adly Guirgis at the Signature Theater

Thank God for Stephen Adly Guirgis.

By the time the first act of Our Lady of 121st Street ended, I thought, "wow, that was the most enjoyable hour of theater in months." The hour just flew by, and I found myself completely engaged and engrossed in this world on stage. Usually when I'm bored at the theater I find myself trying to see how many episodes of The Simpsons I can name with the names of characters in their titles. At Our Lady of 121st Street, there wasn't a thought of Bart Simpson in, well...sight.

That's because Stephen Adly Guirgis' writing clearly shows that he understands people, how they act and talk, and well, he's not full of shit. As someone who was born and raised and has lived in New York City her entire life, it is refreshing and exciting to see characters on stage who think and act and sound like true New Yorkers. Within five minutes of the play's opening scene, I couldn't help but realize that I could relate an anecdote from my own life to the situation happening on stage. And as someone who grew up Catholic in New York City, Our Lady of 121st Street really felt relatable, and well, real. This is New York, not some romanticized version written by someone who grew up elsewhere and moved here in their twenties. It's authentic, in a way that is rarely seen on stage these days. And it's authentically funny and authentically moving; these characters could seem like stock ones but there's nary a cliche insight. There's no contrivances. The swearing and vulgarity doesn't seem offensive and out of place either. And why? Because the writing is so strong.

The current production at the Signature Theater (admittedly my favorite of the New York non-profits), directed by Phylicia Rashad, is top-notch. The excellent pacing let's the language truly shine, the lighting by Keith Parham, and Walt Spangler's set help create a terrific and impressive atmosphere.

And the cast! The cast! Rashad has assembled one of the strongest ensembles I've seen in a long time, all of them looking and acting like real people. Like the people of New York I see on the streets everyday. While they're all wonderful, the standouts for me were Hill Harper, Erick Betancourt, and the always reliable Quincy Tyler Bernstine.

If I had one minor criticism, it's that I would've cut the intermission and let it run 100 minutes or so. I can also see how someone might have some qualms with the text; we don't really get closure in the traditional sense. But that's not the play Guirgis wrote. These people have all come together because of Sister Rose, they're the focus, not her missing body. And that's how life is.

Regardless, we should all feel lucky that someone as authentic and talented as Stephen Adly Guirgis is writing plays and we get to see them.


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