You can imagine a pitch meeting along these lines: “I’ve written a play that depicts the difference between being religious and acting godly. Oh, and the lead roles are 13 and 14 year old boys.” Fortunately for the prospective audience for The Saviors, the pitcher in question was Bubba Weiler who cemented his reputation as a playwright well worth backing with his acclaimed Well, I’ll Let You Go. Fortunately for Weiler and his go-to director Jack Serio, the producer who picked up the challenge was the Atlantic Theater Company. Their main-stage, The Linda Gross, is located in a converted church. To paraphrase a line from The Saviors script, if that isn’t the hand of god, what is it?
A complaint I’ve sometimes made about The Linda Gross is that the performance space is often blocked to be wide and shallow. This set by David Zinn is gorgeously expansive, with tall delicate stained glass windows and light colored steps leading up to humble statuary and a candle covered altar. Director Serio also makes use of the aisles as an extension of the upfront interior (necessitating a strict no-late-seating; no-reentry policy). Sound by Leah Gelpe that accompanies the cast member entrances lets us experience the chilly winter world just outside the heavy church doors. Stacey Derosier’s shadowy lighting design of the sanctuary nearly qualifies as a fifth character.
Into this subdued scene of reverence tumble altar boys Michael and Paul. The young teens are obviously close and have turned each assigned task into a lighthearted contest. The differences between the two slowly unfold. Michael has embraced the Catholic teachings with manic enthusiasm. They give structure to a life that is otherwise filled with anxiety-inducing choices. Paul is more questioning of the strict prescribed path that seems to lie ahead. Two adults with disparate views on Christian faith become entwined in the boys’ bond. Judy, a congregant whom Michael asks to be his Confirmation sponsor, is so devoted to the parish that Michael has come to regard her as a Mary figure. Concurrently, Paul befriends Julian, a homeless man with an unclear connection to the community who comes into the church seeking refuge and comfort.
Much of the play consists of pairs in hypnotic conversation. That Weiler began working on the script when he was not much older than the current stars is a factor in making the dialogue so genuine. There is elegant world-building within the exchanges, with an underlying tension that rivals many psychological thrillers.
It is nearly impossible not to feel protective of both Ivan Howe’s exuberant Michael or Julius Rinzel’s probing Paul. Both actors are heartbreakingly brilliant (and neither has an understudy.) Making his stage debut is an impassioned Stanley Simons as the older but equally vulnerable Julian. Completing the first-rate company is Crystal Finn who expertly traverses Judy’s rough terrain.
The Saviors will undoubtedly have a different impact on practicing and lapsed Catholics than it did on me, but it doesn’t take a background in religious doctrine to feel its sting. This World Premiere has been extended through August 15 at The Atlantic’s Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street. Running time is a tight 90 minutes without intermission. Tickets start at $56.50 for standing room and top out at $121 for premium seating at select performances. To purchase, visit https://atlantictheater.org/production/the-saviors/
The Unforgettable Line 
Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven
No one creates moments that are simultaneously unsettling and humorous quite like Stephen Adly Guirgis. Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven is his first play since being awarded the Pulitzer in 2015 for Between Riverside and Crazy. This new work is a snapshot of the struggling residents of a New York City halfway house, surrounded by an unwelcoming neighborhood and staffed by those whose lifestyles aren’t much healthier. It’s a sprawling script with over a dozen main characters to track. Many of the transactional relationships include elements of genuine affection and the ride is a profound one. Ultimately, though, it is not so much a tapestry as a sewing kit with each thread slightly touching the one beside it.
As the play opens, a group session is in progress. This initial conversation hits many predictable beats — drug use, sexual exploitation, and abuse — but also provides a quick introduction to the characters with whom we’ll spend the next three hours. We learn Queen Sugar (Benja Kay Thomas) has gotten caught up in an Amway-style pyramid scheme while Munchies (Pernell Walker) is preoccupied with Nigerian caregiver Mr. Mobo (Neil Tyrone Pritchard). There are glimpses of Wanda Wheels’ (Patrice Johnson Chevannes) elegance, the stranglehold that mentally ill mother Sonia (Wilemina Olivia Garcia) has over her bright daughter Tiana (Viviana Valeria), and the familiar relationship pattern fragile Bella (Andrea Syglowski) is recreating with lesbian in command Sarge (Liza Colón-Zayas). Always quick to say, “no,no,no” is Rockaway Rosie (Elizabeth Canavan). Taking center stage at the top is the clever rapper Little Melba Diaz (Kara Young). In the corner is morbidly obese Betty (Kristina Poe) whose surprise connection and subsequent blossoming is a highlight. And on the edge (and on edge) is the transgendered Venus Ramirez (a glorious Esteban Andres Cruz) a ferocious voice for those who insist on their rightful place. That list doesn’t include the rest of the staff compassionately portrayed by Victor Almazar, David Anzuelo, Sean Carajal, Molly Collier and Elizabeth Rodriguez.
Elizabeth Canavan ( Rockaway Rosie ), Liza Colón – Zayas ( Sarge ), Kara Young ( Lil Melba Diaz ) and Pernell Walker ( Munchies ). Photo Credit/ Monique Carboni.
As with other Guirgis plays, a subtle but clear picture of the outside world is also drawn. The city’s system is failing and the shortages of both supplies and care are making these lives unnecessarily challenging. A flock of goats tending the grass in a park uptown receives more devotion and support than any of the humans who are simply looking for a chance.
To hold all these tales, a skeleton of the tenement house dominates the set. The sparsely decorated central room of Narelle Sissons’ design also represents the office of the dedicated and overworked manager and occasionally the bedroom of an occupant. The area between the first row and the stage serves as the surrounding alleyways. Director John Ortiz places much of the action on the house front steps audience left and a bench audience right making the viewing experience a bit like a tennis match. Additional focus is achieved with lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger while the mood rises and falls with sound and compositions by Elisheba Ittoop.
Haunting and moving, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven is like taking in a gallery filled with the faces of those whom New Yorkers breeze past every day. Though their full stories are not on the display, the images will sear into you. Note that the material is strictly adult, containing nudity and simulated sex and drug use. The limited engagement co-produced by LAByrinth Theater Company has already been extended through Sunday, January 5. Regular tickets begin at $70 and are available online at atlantictheater.org, by calling OvationTix at 866-811-4111, or in person at the Linda Gross Theater box office (336 West 20th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues).