James Lecesne’s solo performance piece, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, opened last night at at the Westside Theatre.
Directed by Tony Speciale with original music by Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), the story follows a variety of characters in a small Jersey shore town as they unravel the story of Leonard Pelkey, a tenaciously optimistic and flamboyant 14 year old boy. Here’s what the critics thought:
Chances are writer-performer James Lecesne will not leap down from the stage and slap you around for being unmoved by “The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey,” his earnest one-man show lamenting the death of a sensitive gay teenager who was murdered for being sensitive and gay. But the threat of emotional blackmail still hangs over this sentimental play, in which the scribe and solo performer plays the multiple roles of the residents of the little New Jersey town where Leonard lived. —Variety
Beware short plays bearing long titles; they are usually not short enough. Such is the case with The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, a 75-minute one-man show in which James Lecesne, who also wrote the piece, portrays nine denizens of a Jersey shore town… As a performer, Lecesne hits all his marks, nimbly transforming (in Tony Speciale’s paint-by-numbers staging) from one character to another by rotating 360 degrees and altering his voice and stance. Everyone gets an immediately identifying mannerism: a mimed cigarette, a hand tremor, a hair-flip tic… Won’t someone please write a one-character, nine-actor play instead of its ubiquitous inverse?—Vulture
Guided by director Tony Speciale and aided by moody music from Duncan Sheik, Lecesne crafts an airtight 75-minute story about tolerance, evil and legacy. It’s police procedural laced with pointed, but not preachy, public service. As in his previous shows like “Word of Mouth,” Lecesne uses few props, but relies on his dexterous voice and body language to populate this poignant work. “Leonard Pelkey” is streaked with darkness, but Lecesne shines bright.—Daily News
