Paul Rudnick’s play
“Jeffrey” makes its way to Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre and provides a lesson for any era: that hiding from fear is never the answer.
Paul Rudnick’s play “Jeffrey” raised eyebrows before it even opened when it was described as “a comedy about AIDS.” In the early 1990s, as is the case today, AIDS was certainly not a laughing matter.
But when the play finally was produced, it proved a breakout vehicle for Rudnick. And a 1995 film adaptation made a topic eschewed by Middle America a little more palatable by casting actors familiar to the heartland: “Wings” sitcom star Steven Weber; “Days of Our Lives” heartthrob Michael T. Weiss; “Star Trek” hero Patrick Stewart; and Nathan Lane, Sigourney Weaver, Olympia Dukakis and others in cameo roles.
More than 20 years later, “Jeffrey” has arrived at Parliament House’s Footlight Theatre. Director Eric Pinder has put together a slow-to-start but ultimately sweet production, bolstered by charming leading man Joshua S. Roth and the comedy of Rudnick’s one-liners, which zing where they should.
The story follows the title character, a struggling New York actor who swears off sex for fear of contracting AIDS. His friends urge him to find a steady boyfriend, but the guy he has eyes for — a hottie from the gym named Steve — is HIV-positive.
The show takes a while to hit its stride. Rudnick drives home Jeffrey’s fear of sex over and over until one begins to wonder how many times Roth will be forced to say some variation of “I can’t,” “I couldn’t,” “I don’t,” “I won’t.” His protestations could be a drinking game, except you’d be blotto by the end of Act I.
“Jeffrey” is also built on a spirit of whimsy that at Parliament House doesn’t fully ignite until the second half. Throughout the show, theatergoers see Jeffrey’s fantasies, Mother Teresa makes appearances, and actors talk directly to the audience. A strong comic performance by Jessica Hoehn — especially as an increasingly tipsy socialite — helps with the goofy tone.
Treatments and prognoses for those with HIV or AIDS have changed dramatically since “Jeffrey” debuted, so in places the story feels dated. But if you look deeper, there are striking parallels to contemporary fears such as terrorism and other gun violence.
“Why did God make the world this way, and why do I have to be in it?” laments Jeffrey, who plans to withdraw from the world and “hide until it’s all over.”
But in the play’s sentimental last 20 minutes, its strongest sequence reminds us that hiding from fear is never the answer. That’s a lesson for any era.