Stephen Adly Guirgis has an ear for language. His plays capture the cadences of everyday speech while latching onto the emotional undercurrent behind his characters' words. This is exemplified in his latest play, Our Lady of 121st Street.

Following a sold-out run Off-Off-Broadway at the 70-seat Center Stage, the show has transferred to Off-Broadway's largest venue, the 499-seat Union Square Theatre. There were bound to be growing pains involved in such a move; but the LAByrinth Theatre production, skillfully directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, remains one of the most thrilling theatrical experiences of the season.

The action begins in the main viewing room of the Ortiz funeral home as Det[...]

"What kind of fuckin' world is this?!" asks a character at the top of Stephen Adly Guirgis's compelling, funny, and dynamic new play, Our Lady of 121st Street, directed by stage and screen actor Philip Seymour Hoffman for the LAByrinth Theatre Company. The world the playwright creates is filled with random craziness and dysfunctional relationships. In short, it's a world very much like our own.

This character-driven, dark comedy revolves around the death of Sister Rose, a nun who was much loved by an uptown neighborhood's residents. Guirgis is careful not to idealize the good Sister; it's clearly stated that she was an abuse survivor with an alcoholic bent. She could also be quite strict an[...]