''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.

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 Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely ...

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 The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance ...

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 Michael Kunken (born c. 1971) is an American actor. He is known for the roles of Ari Spyros on Showtime's '' Billions'' and Commander Putnam on Hulu's '' The Handmaid's Tale''. His film work includes work with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spie ...

replaced Berresse in the role of Father Michael Delpapp. Despite some critical praise, mainly for Jonigkeit and Turner's performances, 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 is 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 whose promiscuity caused her sister's tragic death. Her employer, Father Michael Delpapp, introduces her to Cody Randall, a 19-year-old gay drug user and hustler, hoping that Randall can be reformed. Sister Jamison is left to stop Cody from self-destructing with his crystal meth addiction and to confront her own past. Various plot twists reveal that Father Michael is Cody's uncle and that he has been enabling him financially for years. This support culminated in a cover-up of Cody's murdering his 14-year-old lover. At first resistant, Cody eventually begins to take to Sister Jamison's unconventional approach to religion, but he relapses into drug abuse and a life of crime. Sister Jamison, not knowing what to do, prays with Cody in a back alley and leaves him to die.

Original Broadway cast

as Sister Jamison Connelly *

as Father Michael Delpapp * Evan Jonigkeit as Cody Randall

Awards and nominations

;2011

Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...

*Distinguished Performance Award -

(nominated) ;2011

Outer Critics Circle Awards The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

*Best Supporting Actor in a Play - Evan Jonigkeit (nominated) ;2011

Connecticut Critics Circle Awards Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capit ...

*Outstanding Debut - Evan Jonigkeit (won) ;2011

Kevin Kline Awards The Kevin Kline Awards were started in 2006, to recognize outstanding achievement in professional theatre in the Greater St. Louis area. The awards are sponsored by PTAC, the Professional Theatre Awards Council, and were named in honor of Kevin Kli ...

*Best Supporting Actor in a Play - Evan Jonigkeit (won) ;2011

IRNE Awards The IRNE Awards are presented annually by the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) to honor the best achievements in Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealt ...

*Best Supporting Actor in a Touring Play - Evan Jonigkeit (nominated)

References

External links

HIGH official website
* {{IBDB title, 489598, High
"High" and Matthew Lombardo

Drama League Nominations
2010 plays LGBT-related plays American plays Broadway plays