Review: JEFFREY at Little Theatre Of Mechanicsburg

Paul Rudnick’s Jeffrey belies the traditional wisdom that, as Steve Carell’s character Michael states in The Office, “There are certain topics that are off-limits to comedians: JFK, AIDS, the Holocaust...And I hope to someday live in a world where a person could tell a hilarious AIDS joke. It’s one of my dreams.” But Jeffrey isn’t simply a comedy set in New York in the 90s, featuring gay characters dealing with the AIDS crisis—it’s a deeply moving story that explores human resilience, that brings sex and relationships out of the darkness of the taboo and into the brilliant lights of the stage, that takes a terrifying disease and suggests that love and compassion and humanity can survive even in the face of devastating tragedy. This complicated, hilarious, profoundly human story takes the stage at Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg under the direction of Keith E. Bowerman through April 19th.

The action takes place on a mostly bare, black stage, with occasional set pieces swiftly and unobtrusively placed and then taken away as needed by stage manager Annie Hart and stage crew Cori Salsgiver. This keeps the play moving just as the story moves through several months of Jeffrey’s life. The lighting (by Heather Flatley) focuses the attention on the actors, highlighting their expressions, while the sound (by Keith E. Bowerman) helps the audience to remember that the play takes place in NYC and assists in setting each specific scene. The costumes gave this reviewer quite vivid flashbacks to the 90s and were one of the best visual aspects of the show for setting it firmly in time and place.

The cast includes William O’Donnell, Steven Filer Munley, Duffy Batzer, Samuel Eisenhuth, Charles Miller, Matt Stewart, Ben Fisler, and Mark Myers (with stage manager Annie Hart making a hilarious cameo appearance in the first scene as Woman in Bed). O’Donnell, Filer Munley, Batzer, and Eisenhuth each take on a variety of roles, wowing the audience as they masterfully move from one character to another. O’Donnell’s performance as The Boss of the catering company for which Jeffrey works was hilarious as he evokes the “No soup for you” persona of the chef from Seinfeld. Filer Munley has great versatility, but his best characters in this production were Jeffrey’s Dad in Wisconsin and TV reporter Chuck Farling, who covers the Pride Parade. Batzer shows wonderful energy and emotional range in her various roles, particularly as the silent but compassionate Mother Teresa; as Jeffrey’s practical, plain-spoken, midwestern Mom; and as Mrs. Marcangelo, the mother of Angelique, a trans woman taking part in the Pride Parade. Eisenhuth has great skill in changing his voice, facial expressions, and posture as he embodies different characters. This reviewer particularly enjoyed his performance as charismatic game-show host Skip Winkly, a gruff but enthusiastic casting director, and trans woman Angelique.

Miller and Stewart bring humor and heart to their roles as Darius and Sterling, respectively. They both have fantastic stage presence, and their interactions are beautifully crafted. Miller’s Darius is overflowing with life, even as AIDS and its treatment are robbing him of it. Stewart’s performance as Sterling is genuine and warm in spite of his sometimes biting wit, and the emotion he brings to the scene following Darius’s death is heart-rending. 

Fisler and Myers, both newcomers to the LTM stage, are captivating as Steve and Jeffrey, and this reviewer hopes to see both actors in many more productions. Fisler and Myers create characters that feel completely authentic to the audience. Their facial expressions, body language, and timing make every scene in which they interact electric. Fisler’s Steve is engaging and flirty while approaching the realities of life as an HIV positive gay man with straight-forward honesty and practicality. Myers gives a lovely performance as the title character Jeffrey. His monologue delivery (of which there are several) is on point, hitting all the right emotional notes and making the audience part of Jeffrey’s story. His performance highlights the complexities of his character and the emotions he experiences—anger in the face of prejudice and very visceral fear in the face of disease and death, along with the often conflicting emotions of desire and love. 

Central Pennsylvania Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE PRODUCERS (Ephrata Performing Arts Center)

24.3% of votes

2. 13 THE MUSICAL (Hershey Area Playhouse)

14.4% of votes

3. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (The Pennsylvania Playhouse)

4.7% of votes

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