The Guest That Wouldn’t Leave

Jeffrey — Pride Arts

Before there was Covid-19 there was the AIDS epidemic. The virus infected thousands of gay men and women and decimated homosexual communities all over the world. However, there will be those watching this staged reading who weren’t even born until after this particular plague had been brought under control. Most young people won’t understand the full horror of this disease. The complications from AIDS sickened and eventually took the lives of so many innocent victims. But, without having lived through this era, some younger audiences won’t appreciate the bleak existence that a gay man tiptoed through, between 1981 and the mid-to-late 1990’s.

This, however, is the world of Paul Rudnick’s play, Jeffrey. It’s set in New York City in 1993. The paranoia experienced by the titular character was, understandably, quite common during this time. Jeffrey is a young man in his early 20’s. He moved from Wisconsin to The Big Apple, where he became a waiter and would-be actor. He’s become aware of how the AIDS virus has been ravaging the gay community and has decided there’s only one solution for staying healthy: he must give up sex, altogether. 

But this decision is much lonelier and far more difficult than it sounds, especially when temptation seems to lurk almost everywhere. In particular, Jeffrey finds he’s attracted to a good-looking guy named Steve, a hunky young bartender who works out at his local gym. They tease and flirt with each other and seem to hit it off, until Steve informs Jeffrey that he’s HIV positive. With illness, death, memorial services and AIDS benefits popping up all over NYC, Jeffrey decides he simply can’t bear the pain of falling in love with someone who will eventually grow sick, waste away and die a gruesome death. Even all the prompting and urging from their mutual friends, Sterling and his younger lover, Darius, can’t persuade Jeffrey to take a chance with Steve.

Much like Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, Rudnick’s play is a period piece. It makes audiences think and feel. His 90-minute, two-act comedy about AIDS almost wasn’t produced back in the 1990’s; no one wanted to see a play that found humor in this dreadful plague. However, Jeffrey was eventually presented Off-Broadway, where it earned a myriad of awards. It proved to be very popular with gay audiences, because we discovered that we needed to be able to laugh during this tragic time. As the play describes it, in 1993, AIDS was the guest that wouldn’t leave. The disease was ignored by the government and, like Covid-19, eventually spread all over the world. But Rudnick balanced this tragedy with moments of broad comedy and a powerful message about love. It reminds those of us who survived those dark decades that, while there was so much devastation and tragedy, there was also hope. 

Directed by actor/director David Belew, and technically guided by Zoom Stage Manager Eileen Scandiffio, this staged reading is a worthy attempt at recreating a specific moment in gay history. Pride Arts is presenting this new offering during the pandemic to fulfill a need for entertainment and enlightenment. The production meets all the criteria for being socially distanced and is easily accessible to the interested audience. There will be one more staged reading of another play at the end of this week, as well.

Anyone who’s ever engaged in a Zoom Meeting will recognize the limitations in staging such a presentation. It was a one-night event that kind of resembled watching a play on the set of “Hollywood Squares” or during the opening of “The Brady Bunch.” Actors from various locations around the country, most playing multiple roles, appeared isolated in separate boxes. Sometimes they’d be projected full-image, and at other times they were only visible in small cubicles at the top of the screen. Because there were a few technical glitches and irritating pauses between cue pickups, it was difficult to tell if an actor wasn’t familiar with his script, had lost his place during the reading or was simply experiencing a technical time delay.

These problems aside, the cast worked hard to provide a fine virtually staged reading experience for their audience. Juwon Tyrel Perry brought an engaging, youthful effervescence and energy to his portrayal of Jeffrey. Handsome Magdiel Carmono was likable and earnest as Steve. Young Sean Findley provided much of the production’s humor as Darius, a flaming Broadway dancer, currently appearing in the Winter Garden production of Cats. His banter continually demonstrated his youth and his sweet devotion to his friends, in particular to his partner, Sterling. 

Two of finest performances in this staged reading were by Kalani Whitford, as a fully-realized, style conscious Sterling. Almost as over-the-top as Darius, Mr. Whitford not only mined every ounce of comedy from his role, he dug deep enough to provide some honest pathos to this character. And Julie Partyka, who played all the women in this play, was absolutely terrific. She was eloquent, captured every nuance of comedy from her various roles and brought a great deal of class to this production. If Ms. Partyka hasn’t already played the role, someone should cast her as Auntie Mame.

The next staged reading by Pride Arts will be a unique, gender-bending version of R+J, a play-within-a-play about a private school’s production of the Shakespearean tragedy. Check the Pride Arts webpage for details about securing tickets for this one-time presentation.     

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas 

Presented May 4, 7:00, as a live-streamed staged reading, by PrideArts.

Tickets are available by calling 773-857-0222 or by going to www.pridearts.org.

More information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.