High (play)
Encyclopedia
High is a play written by Matthew Lombardo. The story revolves around a nun, Sister Jamison Connelly, who deals with her sordid past and the people around her with her acerbic wit and wisdom. When Sister Jamison agrees to sponsor a gay 19-year-old drug user and hustler in an effort to help him combat his addiction, her own faith is ultimately tested. HIGH explores the universal themes of truth, forgiveness, redemption and human fallibility.
and Evan Jonigkeit played Sister Jamison and Cody Randall, while Michael Berresse
portrayed Father Michael Delpapp. Reviews were mostly positive in the out-of-town tryouts.
High opened in previews on Broadway at the Booth Theatre
on March 25, 2011, with an official opening night on April 19, 2011. Turner and Jonigkeit remained in their respective roles, and Stephen Kunken
replaced Berresse in the role of Father Michael Delpapp. Despite some critical praise, mainly for Turner's performance, it was otherwise critically savaged and, coupled with low advance sales, closed on April 24, 2011, after 28 previews and 8 regular performances (making it the shortest-running production of the 2010-2011 Broadway season).
2011 Outer Critics Circle Awards
Production history
High had its world premiere in the summer of 2010 at Hartford's TheaterWorks, where director Rob Ruggiero had been a longtime associate artistic director, as well as author Matthew Lombardo, who was born in Hartford and raised in Wethersfield. The show, which had commercial attachments and Broadway ambitions, then traveled to Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park, followed by a run at the Repertory Theater of St. Louis. Kathleen TurnerKathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
and Evan Jonigkeit played Sister Jamison and Cody Randall, while Michael Berresse
Michael Berresse
Michael Berresse is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and director. The son of artist and author Cynthia Berresse Ploski, he has appeared on Broadway in many shows including: Kiss Me, Kate, Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel and Damn Yankees, and The Light in the Piazza as Giuseppe...
portrayed Father Michael Delpapp. Reviews were mostly positive in the out-of-town tryouts.
High opened in previews on Broadway at the Booth Theatre
Booth Theatre
The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York City.Architect Henry B. Herts designed the Booth and its companion Shubert Theatre as a back-to-back pair sharing a Venetian Renaissance-style façade...
on March 25, 2011, with an official opening night on April 19, 2011. Turner and Jonigkeit remained in their respective roles, and Stephen Kunken
Stephen Kunken
Stephen Kunken is an American actor, best known for his work in theatre. His Broadway credits include Frost/Nixon, Rock 'n' Roll, and Enron, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play.-Career:...
replaced Berresse in the role of Father Michael Delpapp. Despite some critical praise, mainly for Turner's performance, it was otherwise critically savaged and, coupled with low advance sales, closed on April 24, 2011, after 28 previews and 8 regular performances (making it the shortest-running production of the 2010-2011 Broadway season).
Synopsis
Sister Jamison Connelly an acerbic and profanity-inclined nun and drug counselor with a checkered past of her own. She herself is a former drug user and alcoholic (who often was promiscuous with other men, a habit that resulted tragically in her sister's death). Her employer, Father Michael Delpapp, brings her to the attention of Cody Randall, a gay 19 year old drug user and hustler, in the hopes he can be reformed. In doing so, Sister Jamison is left to prevent Cody from self-destructing with his crystal meth addiction, while confronting her own past. Through various plot twists, it is learned that Father Michael is related to Cody (as an uncle) and that he has been financially enabling him for years, which culminated in a cover-up involving Cody murdering his 14-year old lover. Though at first resistant, Cody eventually begins to take to Sister Jamison's unconventional approach to religion, but relapses back into drugs and a life of crime, and Sister Jamison, unknowing of how to act, leaves Cody to die in a back alley after praying with him.Original Broadway cast
- Kathleen TurnerKathleen TurnerMary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
as Sister Jamison Connelly - Stephen KunkenStephen KunkenStephen Kunken is an American actor, best known for his work in theatre. His Broadway credits include Frost/Nixon, Rock 'n' Roll, and Enron, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play.-Career:...
as Father Michael Delpapp - Evan Jonigkeit as Cody Randall
Awards and nominations
2011 Drama League AwardDrama League Award
The Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing...
- Distinguished Performance Award - Kathleen TurnerKathleen TurnerMary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
(nominated)
2011 Outer Critics Circle Awards
- Best Supporting Actor in a Play - Evan Jonigkeit (nominated)