Our Lady of 121st Street

SF Playhouse productions just get better and better. I'm amazed at what they've been able to do in just a few years. They've offered Equity contracts with time towards the health plan, and so have snagged some of the best talent in the area, certainly evidenced in the steller ensemble cast of Our Lady of 121st Street.

Deftly directed by artistic director Bill English, the West Coast premiere of Our Lady--well, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The script rivaled South Park in its humor (that's a compliment), and the cast displayed great comic timing on opening night. Hansford Prince (great to have him back in town for this production) rocked in his portrayal of Rooftop, especially during his confessional scenes. In the second one he had the audience roaring, then had them completely silent as his character turned to more serious matters. Keith Burkland was nicely conflicted and exasperated as Father Lux in these scenes. Gabe Marin also stood out as the detective Balthazar, who carries a tragic emotional burden. Well, I could go down the cast list--Ian Walker as the denial-ridden Flip, Ashkon Davaron turning in a sweetly sympathetic performance as Pinky, Stephanie Prentice as the embattled Norca. And on.

The one or two nitpicky things I could point out is that Guirgis's scenes, which start out strong, kind of peeter out, and because there are so many episodes, this becomes more and more apparent. But because it's so consistent, I suspect it's intentional. Also, the cast--probably riding on the adrenalin of a very appreciative and willing to laugh often opening night audience--skimmed over the more dramatic portions of the script. Hansford and Gabe were not as guilty of this, but Gabe's last scene as Balthazar talking about his son was so moving that I realized later that the script was so much more complex than I first thought. Luckily, the cast is so well-tuned so early that they will be able to find and live in these tragic moments more fully, then switch to the comedic moments.

But, like with all nitpicky things, they don't really take away from the enjoyment of the play. People often ask me, when they find out what I do, what are the best shows playing right now. Our Lady of 121st Street is on the top of my list.

And, by the way, you daily newspapers, where were you on press night?! This is a West Coast premiere and a steller cast. OK, world premieres are great too, but hopefully if you were at one of them, it was a world premiere by a local playwright.