Theater Reviews

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? On the wall of Leonta’s (Yvonne Farrow) Harlem church, a massive banner beseeches her fellow parishioners to “abstain from fleshy lusts which war against the soul.” Why, certainly, agrees the congregation’s Queen Bee — until her husband (M. Lee White) breaks down and admits he’s been on the down low at the park bathrooms and must be tested for HIV. By centering her morality play on the innocent wife instead of the guilty husband (who’s kicked out after his confession), Yvette Heyliger’s sincere but digressive three-hour melodrama largely sidesteps the meaty theological battle between lust and soul in favor of couching a safe-sex message in soap-opera politics. Since her large, talented ensemble must fritter away much of the running time gossiping about everyone’s sex life and quoting half the Bible, a strong but long-winded Act 3 stretch bogs down as nine characters testify about their connection to HIV. Still, though her sermon runneth over, Heyliger scores a dozen resonant points about everything from black pride to shifty Biblical interpretations while calling upon the church to take the lead in healing this sickness, as it did for slavery and segregation. Twinbiz and Piano Man Productions at the HOLLYWOOD COURT THEATER, Hollywood United Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Ave., Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Dec. 10. (323) 960-7822. (Amy Nicholson)