ORDER MY STEPS

dway through its Faith-Based Theater Cycle, which began in 2001, Cornerstone Theater Company is still not settling for easy answers. That, of course, would be insulting when tackling an issue as complex and dire as AIDS in the African-American community and the effect this disease has had on communities of worship. It's a huge subject that playwright Tracey Scott Wilson wisely examines through a single relationship: among a pastor (George W. Gant), an HIV-positive member of his congregation (Adina Porter), and her husband (Quentin Drew), a deacon in the church who may have infected her. Because it's Cornerstone, which has set the standard for dealing evenhandedly with opposing viewpoints and conflicting cultures, you know walking in that your sympathies will not lie with only one of these characters. You also hope the preacher won't be either saint or demon, the two ways Christian pastors are typically portrayed in most contemporary art. Happily, the struggle of Reverend Howard to fairly deal with this division within his congregation and with his congregation's diverse prejudices and fears makes for the most compelling scenes in the play. Gant and his sometimes cynical deacon (Jeris Lee Poindexter) are the highlight of this production as they argue and razz one another over how best to serve their laity. They also infuse humor into a piece that can be understandably grim. More humor, however, should have been wrung from Wilson's central conceit: that wife Selena is writing a church play about AIDS, which is first conceived as a "chitlins-circuit"-style musical. It's a clever idea that doesn't quite live up to the conception—an exception being the stereotypical flamboyant sidekick to Selena's musicalized persona, played with proper flair by Mario Burrell. Other standouts are Donna Marquet's adaptable set, which efficiently converts from church to home to musical stage, and the musical-within-the-play's choir, led by soloists Nita Hutton and Myron Jackson, who get the theatre hopping when given the chance, particularly in the opening number, "God Is Love," with lyrics by Paris Barclay and music by Barclay and Kevin Flournoy. Whether its Wilson's writing or Barclay and Mark Valdez's co-direction, the piece feels slack in areas and lacks a sharpness in tone that have made past Cornerstone faith-based productions not only sufficiently complex but also wonderfully edgy. Porter and Drew come through with the emotional high notes when they need to, but as the husband's sexuality is ultimately dealt with late in the show, the writing becomes more pat and obvious—not a far leap from the simplistic gospel-musical conventions at which Wilson earlier pokes fun. The show is still worth seeing—for the courage and commitment of the cast and company alone, not to mention the fantastic Black Panthers/Martin Luther King photo exhibit that resides in the museum surrounding this Watts theatre. "Order My Steps," presented by Cornerstone Theater Company, in association with the Black AIDS Institute, Watts Village Theater Company, and Watts Labor Community Action Committee, in Phoenix Hall at the WLCAC Center, 10950 Central Ave., L.A. June 28-July 13. $20 or Pay-What-You-Can. (213) 613-1700, ext. 3