Parable Productions’ The Cross and the Switchblade is a story told in two parts. The first part is the story of Nicky Cruz, a Puerto Rican who grew up in an abusive and unloving home, surrounded by superstition and dark beliefs, who eventually became the leader of a notorious New York gang, the Mau Maus. Juxtaposing this is the story of Rev. David Wilkerson, a small-town Pennsylvania preacher who feels a calling to help the gangs and bring them to the love of Christ. Both of these stories are taken from the biographies of these two men, Cruz’s Run Baby Run and Wilkerson’s The Cross and the Switchblade. Annie Fields’ adoption of these two works, combined with multi-media images and montages told with dance, gives us a both an entertaining and moving look into these two men’s lives. Lives that would eventually intersect and make both men stronger for it.
Nicky (played by Alexis Larett) is immediately imposing on his entrance. There is no doubt from his costume and demeanor exactly who he is, and more importantly what he is. But as he tells us of his childhood, I began to understand him and feel his pain. Part of this was the story, but a big part came from Larett’s delivery of the lines and the honest bitterness in his tone. In contrast, Rev. David (played by Jesse Hayes) is the exact opposite on his entrance. Despite his height, he’s completely unimposing in his costume (a simple beige polo shirt and khakis) and his demeanor. Yet it is from this humble form that we meet a character whose passion rivals that of Nicky’s bitterness. Rev. David is a complex character, both uncertain in his ability to connect with people, yet absolutely certain in his conviction that God is guiding him. That’s not an easy character to pull off, yet Hayes seems to do it with natural ease.
Wilkerson’s novel and experiences took place during the 1950s, and when I first saw the costumes for the Wilkersons, I thought that’s when this play would take place. But the play was brought more into the present day. It was like a character from the 1950s stepped into 21st century gangland, but the message was the same, and his effect was just as powerful.
Both men guide us through this memory play with long monologues (and having just finished directing a memory play, I felt for both of these actors). Hayes easily blended into his scenes, transitioning from monologue to dialogue. It helped to have the light change from a follow-spot for the monologues to regular lighting for the scenes. There was even one instance where he picked up his monologue in the middle of a scene, and the follow spot was right there to let us know where we were and what was happening. A minor thing, in concept, but praise must go to Annie Fields for this idea, and particularly to lighting operators Cinde Scharf and Hudson Smith for pulling it off so easily.
As easily as Hayes blended into his scenes, I wanted to see the same thing with Larett in Nicky’s scenes. Unfortunately this was not immediately the case. As Nicky told us about his childhood, the choice was to have three young actors play Nicky in the various stages of his life, leaving Larett to just watch the scene unfold. We finally see Nicky blend into his own scenes when he’s at last in High School and threatens his principal, and the scene was so powerful, thanks to Larett’s acting, that I wished he could have been involved in the childhood scenes as well. Something akin to Dancing at Lughnasa where the narrator speaks as the boy, but doesn’t have to fully partake in the scene. This could have been particularly powerful in the scene where 8th grade Nicky fights with his father (played by Moises Tovar). Tovar later plays a gang member who dies in Nicky’s arms. How much more powerful could that had been to see him fight that actor in one scene and then care about him in another? But really, that’s just a nit-pick, because once his childhood scenes were over, the blending worked as perfectly as it did for the Rev. David scenes.
I’m a touchy-feely kind of director. I like my actors to make physical contact to help convey making a connection to the audience. For the most part that was lacking in the one character that I really wanted to see it in: Rev. David. Mostly to counteract the physicality of the gang violence, but also help him connect to these kids he was trying to convince that “love” would save them all. I wanted Rev. David to hug the girl who was strung out on heroin when he first met her. I wanted him to try to touch the gang members and have them flinch or even recoil from it –as the only touch they know is violence. But with that not being the case, when he finally does try to embrace someone it seems just as unnatural to us that Rev. David wanted to give an embrace as it did to the character he was trying to embrace.
But then something happened… I was moved. In the climactic scene where Nicky and Rev. David finally come together I was moved. Both actors raised their performances up and brought this play to a beautiful conclusion. What’s funny about that, is that I knew it was coming. Not from familiarity with the script or the texts, rather with familiarity of the genre. I knew this would happen, yet I still found myself caught up in it –thanks to their conviction to their roles and to the story. One gentleman in our small, Thursday night audience was moved to shouting “Amen!” And really? I was in a church watching a Christian play. He was definitely their intended audience and he was clearly affected. I looked around and caught glimpses of handkerchiefs dabbing at eyes, as I reached for my own for the same purpose. It was a beautiful moment that this script built up to and we were all privileged to witness it.
Along with Hayes and Larett, I want to call out some of the supporting cast for their performances. Each of these actors worked with conviction to their roles and brought some nice moments to the scenes they were in. Rodney Lewis, who played both a hard-bitten gangster but also a bailiff and a parishioner, was rock solid and committed to each of his characters. Moises Tovar was powerful as Nicky’s father, but then transitioned to playing a dying friend and brought the right amount of vulnerability to his final moments. Ren Shore as the Psychologist was perfect in his role. Both in his performance, but also in his casting. He looked like what you would expect a “troubled youth” councilor to look like. Mike Nilsson as Miles Hoover was so much fun to watch, particularly when he wasn’t saying anything (and as most of his scenes involved Rev. David, he didn’t get to say much as it was). But his face conveyed so much concern and even healthy fear that I found myself always looking to him for a reaction to the scene. In a small, but essential, role was Edward Ellingson as Grandpap. His scene with Hayes was a nice calm in what had been a storm of emotions and frustrations for the characters up until that point. He gave us a natural delivery and brought both Rev. David and the audience back to Earth. Finally, and certainly saving one of the best for last was Kylee Ogzewalla as Gwen Wilkerson, Rev. David’s long-suffering wife. She brought a charm and grace to the character and showed us a character who loved and cared for her husband, but could also be frustrated by his choices and even tease him for them. It was a well rounded performance for a character that could have easily been delivered one-dimensionally.
The play is a charity. All proceeds (and there is an offering at intermission) goes to Wilkerson’s long-running project: New Hope House. At least to our local chapter. Just prior to intermission (at least on the night I saw it), a New Hope House representative got up and gave us a quick presentation on their work, and had someone who was helped by the organization quickly tell their story. So by seeing this show you will not only see some good performances, a great multi-media spectacle, and feel good from the message conveyed, but you’ll also help kids like the characters you see portrayed on the stage. So turn off your TV and make your way down to the Calvary Chapel in Murray for a good show and a good cause.
Parable Productions’ “The Cross and the Switchblade” performs October 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 at 7pm at the Calvary Chapel at 460 W. Century Drive (4350 South) in Salt Lake City. Tickets are $7.50 and can be purchased in the Chapel’s bookstore.
Oustanding for both main actors.