What is perhaps most compelling about Jerry Ford’s story in the play “Hope” is that he lived to tell the tale. In this one-person show based on the writer/actor's life growing up in Detroit, the audience witnesses a constant transformation -- Ford not only transforms himself into an array of characters over the course of the play, but in doing so guides us through his life's transformation. As the title suggests, this is a story about a journey, from adversity to the realization that change is possible.  And on this the play certainly delivers.

“Hope” tells the story of a 17-year-old boy, haunted by the senseless murder of his brother, Sammy. Jerry was by his brother's side when he was shot, an event which mirrors a prior trauma the six-year-old Jerry experienced: the murder of his aunt. When we first encounter Jerry, he has spent years trying to reconcile and avenge his brother's death -- in the process getting mixed up in gangs, crime, drugs, and subsequently losing others he cares about. He struggles to find meaning and a sense of purpose in a world he believes has everything turned against him. To help him survive, Jerry depends on the discipline and perseverance that has been ingrained in him through martial arts. Belief in himself and allowing faith into his life keeps him afloat.

Ford’s performance is versatile, entertaining, and emotive. His background in martial arts adds a welcomed physicality, such as when we see Ford in fight sequences and in an interpretive movement piece during a hallucinatory memory of his dead brother.  Director Turron Kofi Alleyne, meanwhile, intensifies each transition in the story; he also adds both sound and movement, making this already soul-baring story even more poignant, while still allowing Ford's authentic and provocative writing the space it deserves.

The play goes beyond placing the action in a particular setting and comments upon the unjust system where those who are underprivileged and forced to live surrounded by crime have little chance of getting out of the system.  With this social commentary underlying the play's message of hope, this one-man show is both provocative and powerful.

"Hope" is playing at Producers’ Club from until October 10th.  Check out our full event listing here: https://stagebuddy.com/listingdetail.php?lid=14789