"Jails, Hospitals, and Hip-Hop," a one-man show featuring actor-writer Danny Hoch and directed by Jo Bonney, will be presented Tuesday and Wedneday, Feb. 23 and 24, at the Yale Reperatory Theatre, corner of Chapel and York streets. Showtime will be 8 p.m. both evenings.

Crime, race and rap/hip-hop are among the topics explored in the show. Using only a bare set occupied by two file cabinets, a bench and some baseball caps, Hoch transforms himself into nine characters, offering snapshots of humanity -- leading Ben Brant-ley of the New York Times to describe the actor as "part sociologist, part moralist and part super-chameleon."

Hoch's first foray into acting came during his high school years, when he would perform magic and mime in Washington Square Park. He later enrolled in the High School of Performing Arts, where Hoch created his persona of the "urban griot."

Since then, Hoch has brought his portrayals of disenfranchised urban characters to theater workshops at city jails, hospitals and other social-service centers. In 1994, he received an Obie Award for his off-Broadway show "Some People," which eventually aired as an HBO comedy special.

Feb. 24 is Hip-Hop Night at the Yale Rep. Door prizes will be given away, including one for the "phatest" hip-hop dresser.

Tickets for "Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop" are $11-$22. For more information or to order tickets, call the Yale Rep box office at 432-1234, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays.

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