NEW YORK—Riveting in detail and compelling in subject matter, The Castle presents the stories of several former inhabitants of the New York State Penal System.
In pieces they had a hand in writing, Vilma Ortiz Donovan, Kenneth Harrigan, Angel Ramos, and Casimiro Torres, recalling the events that led to their incarnation and subsequent attempts to not only stay out of jail but also to become valued members of society (that is, "taxpayers," as they note at one point).
Appropriately billed as a theatrical event rather than a play, the title of the show refers to a similarly named New York structure, operated by The Fortune Society, which helps those recently released from prison ease back into the everyday world.
What the four may lack in acting skills they more than make up for with unflinching honesty.
None of the quartet tries to avoid responsibility for what they've done, accepting past actions, and having served their time, are moving on with their lives; something that is not always easy, considering the problems they encounter: Families and friends who see them as who they were and not who they are trying to become; people who try to get them to return to their old ways; and perhaps most importantly, a prison system which is geared more to punishing the guilty than rehabilitating those who are serving their time so they don't fall into the same situations again.
If there's a message in this production, it's this last point, which can be a sobering thought when one considers that as of December 31, 2006, there were approximately 2,258,983 people in jail in the United States, plus 4,237,000 more on probation and 798,200 on parole. (Figures provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics.) The need for second chances is also stressed in the work.
Each of the four projects a combination of passion and pain, drawing the audience into their particular story, which ranges from doing time for drug-related problems to being arrested for murder. In each case, it's their own personal strengths that are tested during their time behind bars, battling bureaucracy, as well as their own rage.
Perhaps the pivotal moments in the show are hearing each person describe the moment when they realized they had found a way to survive on the straight and narrow once they got out of jail. These lifelines include faith in religion, faith in friends, or love for one's family, but all were specific moments that set them on their path to their future lives. As Torres notes at one such point, "I finally got tired. I didn't want to get high."
David Rothenberg, who founded The Fortune Society, did a strong job in directing the performers(he also conceived the piece), keeping the narratives tightly focused, and making it so that Donovan, Harrigan, Ramos and Torres are not simply reading words or relating memories, but making their stories come alive for the audience.
The Castle is a must-see for all interested in social reform, as well as for those looking for a good dramatic story not quickly forgotten as soon as the final words are spoken.
The Castle
New World Stages
340 West 50th Street
Tickets; 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Information: www.fortunesociety.org
Running Time: 1 Hour
Open Run
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London newspaper The Stage.
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