In Riding the Midnight Express, Billy Hayes has created a riveting one-man show, detailing his time in Turkish prisons and his daring escape, taking pains to make clear the distinctions between the movie version of Midnight Express and what actually happened. Hayes had been smuggling hash out of Turkey for some time before he was arrested in Istanbul in 1970. A combination of over-confidence on his part and changing international politics landed him in prison for 5 years.

One of the major misunderstandings caused by Oliver Stone’s sensationalist screenplay for Midnight Express is that Hayes holds any resentment towards Turkey for what happened to him. He still loves the country and that’s one of the major keynotes of this one-man show.

Further, the phrase “riding the midnight express” refers to the long, difficult journey Hayes faced after he escaped from prison, which is not detailed in the movie at all (it ends when he walks out of the prison). In the one-man show, this is actually one of the more compelling parts of the evening.

His story is packed with innate drama, and, with the help of director Jeffrey Altshuler, Hayes delivers it with an easy combination of personal charm and sly, subtle theatricality. Hayes has shaped his story into a well-crafted evening, but his real emotions about the story he lived through keep coming through, which makes it all the more gripping. Highly recommended.

For tickets, click here.

To learn about Jonathan Warman’s directing work, see jonathanwarman.com.