Date: Fri 06-Jun-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

theatre-Jeffrey-New-Milford

Full Text:

(rev "Jeffrey" @TheatreWorks New Milford, 6/6/97)

Theatre Review-

Elvis Meets Shakespeare Meets X

By Julie Stern

NEW MILFORD - The genre is instantly recognizable: The background music is

vintage Cole Porter, the lighting sparkles with the dazzling skies of a New

York night, while slides projected on the wings feature a cityscape of

cheerfully painted townhouses.

Paul Rudnick's Jeffrey is obviously a 1930s romantic comedy, the kind in which

the madcap heroine, who sets things in motion by swearing off love, is played

by Katharine Hepburn, while the brash stranger out to change her mind is, of

course, Cary Grant.

But Rudnick's play, the latest to be presented by TheatreWorks New Milford

(through June 21), has a definite Nineties twist: The title character is a

young gay man who has decided to renounce sex. The spectre of the AIDS

epidemic, with its endless procession of dying friends, and the element of

fear and suspicion injected into a lifestyle based on casual couplings has led

him to swear off romance entirely.

A guileless young unemployed actor who supports himself by working for a

catering service, Jeffrey resolves to stay celibate and organize his time

around alternative activities, like weight-lifting. His concerned friends

advise him that a permanent relationship with a single lover will make for a

far happier existence than lonely abstinence.

They therefore fix him up with a dashing bartender named Steve. The chemistry

between the two is instant and electric, and Jeffrey is ready to believe this

could be the one he has been looking for all his life.,

Unfortunately, Steve is as honest as he is attractive, and he reveals up front

the worst: He is HIV-positive. A relationship with him means they will not

only have to be extremely careful, but he is already living on borrowed time.

The possibility he will eventually develop full-blown AIDS is practically

inevitable.

Unable to handle this kind of tension, Jeffrey flees. The rest of the play

follows the traditional format of romantic comedy, somewhat: Boy meets boy,

boy loses boy... In other words, it is lively, witty and at times hilarious,

as Steve sets out to conquer Jeffrey's fears and his reluctant heart.

Yet at the same time, this portrait of Manhattan's gay subculture has clear

undertones of pain and alienation. Using a mixture of realistic vignettes - a

pick-up at a health club, a memorial service, an encounter with gay bashers in

the Village - with self-mocking fantasies and imaginary conversations that

reflect the attitudes of the world at large, Jeffrey conveys the desperate,

life-on-the-edge intensity of the gay experience.

Director Joseph Longo keeps it all moving with deft timing and his constantly

changing slide show. Mingling images of hospital interiors, Greenwich Village

streets and beefcake pinups, Jeffrey is evocative without being distracting.

More importantly, Longo has a stellar cast to work with. Adam Battelstein, as

the hapless hero, and J. Scott Williams, as Steve, are balanced by the couple

who fixes them up - Bill Hughes as a swishily dignified decorator, and

Christian Smythe as his live-in companion, a chorus boy from Cats .

These roles are supported by the ensemble, comprised of Richard Ercole, Vicki

Haag, Jim Masterson and Jonathan Ross. These four take on several dozen parts

throughout the show, ranging from the supercilious to the droll to the

menacing to the bizarre characters with whom Jeffrey comes in contact as he

tries to figure out what he really wants and how much he is willing to risk.

This is a sophisticated play. It is for adults with a sense of humor. It is

also a chance to see a very talented bunch of actors show you a good time and

send you home thinking, all in the same evening.

Jeffrey continues at TheatreWorks New Milford (5 Brookside Avenue) until June

21. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. Tickets are $12 each, $10

for students and seniors. Call 850/350-6863 for details, reservations.