Writers James Eric and Mark Kemble have taken the myth of Hercules, placed him in a contemporary setting and added magical realism with music. Together they created Hercules on Normandie , a play that focuses both on the hero and the effect he has on his family.

Death row inmate Charles ‘Hercules’ Johnson ( Daryl Keith Roach ) has a spiritual awakening on death row and is guided by the duplicitous Angelo ( Gabe Dell Jr.) the angel. Angelo, who dresses like a hit man from the movie Goodfellas, has his own ulterior motives for helping Hercules.

They meet the new priest Father Francis ( Pierson Blaetz ) who doesn’t turn them in to the police. It’s not from the goodness of his heart. Father Francis has his own set of problems. He recently returned to the states after an emotionally draining excursion from Africa . He tries to leave the horrors that he witnessed behind but Angelo won’t allow it. He keeps Francis from falling apart just enough to continue with his personal agenda.

Soon after Hercules’ aerial escape, miracles happen. The characters, who looked like they had nothing in common earlier in the play, soon come together. And of course, there’s a song for every adventure leading up to that point.

The funny but cuts to-core number happens when the warden ( Pat Satcher ) gives Hercules gruesome details on what to expect from his Lethal Injection. The lyrical genius wordsmith MC In-Q delivers the most poignant and candid rhymes during his character’s turn on the microphone. In quick successions, he condemns the degradation of women in hip-hop, denounces other MCs who praise material possessions instead of their self worth and eloquently spits out how his sexual orientation and being Caucasian makes him an easy target for society to shoot down.

Hercules on Normandie is a collage of many genres without sticking to one that fits. It’s an inspirational soap opera with young adult angst and a political scheme set to music. Too many components dilute this original production and take away from its true focus though. In all this clutter however, a positive message of redemption and forgiveness comes through.