Review: 'The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey' at Hartford Stage

“As I travel the country, I’m happy the show inspires people to think about the obstacles young people face when they make up their mind to be true to themselves and the ways they inspire us all to be absolutely brighter.” - Playwright James Lecesne

Hartford, CT - James Lecesne has brought his inspirational solo show, ‘The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey,’ to Hartford Stage after a well-received run at The Westside Theatre in New York City. Mr. Lecesne is the playwright and the only performer in this play that is based upon his young adult novel Absolute Brightness published in 2008. After his stunning performance at the press matinee, the actor/author came out to sign copies of his book in the theater’s lobby.

The Hartford Stage production is the second stop on a national tour of this tour-de-force for this incredibly talented gentleman. He previously appeared at this venue in the state capitol in ‘I Am My Own Wife,’ ‘The Mystery of Irma Vep, and the world premiere of ‘Motherhood Out Loud.’ The fact that he adapted the novel to work on the stage and then plays a wide variety of characters with seamless transitions and pinpoint accuracy makes it all the more impressive. From his first entrance in the role of a tough New Jersey detective, Mr. Lecesne had the audience in the palm of his hand until they leapt to their feet and literally shouted bravos at his curtain call.

For those who have read the novel, the playwright noted in an interview that while the novel is told from the point of view of 16-year-old Phoebe, the stage-play is told from the viewpoint of Chuck DeSantis, the small town detective. The play is at face value a whodunit, but is at its heart is so much more. It navigates the effects of bullying and the search for identity, while at the same time telling an uplifting story about love, being true to oneself and overcoming prejudices. And believe it or not, there is plenty of laughter mixed in with the weighty issues in this purely fictional tale.

It is the contemporary story of a town on the Jersey shore where a 14-year-old boy has disappeared. The action of the play is about trying to figure out what happened to him and why. Mr. Lecesne plays each and every one of the people in the town to whom the boy was connected and reminds us that we are all connected to one another as he demonstrates the effect that one person’s life has on many other people. While we never actually meet Leonard Pelkey, we come to know him as the actor portrays the investigating detective, a withdrawn teenaged girl and her mother who is a brusque hairdresser, and a dozen other characters. The actor was directed by Tony Speciale and I totally enjoyed the Jersey accents.

Watching the actors switch between these characters was mesmerizing, especially when two of them were having a conversation. With minimal props and no costume changes, we always knew who was who and were able to following along the tale of the tough talking detective. As the tale unfolds, we want to know what happened to the boy, but, not surprisingly, lingering questions remain in the end.

Mr. Lecesne is also an activist. He wrote the screenplay for a live action short film* entitled ‘Trevor,’ which inspired the founding of The Trevor Project, the nation’s only 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth. He also founded the After the Storm Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to offering support to community centers in New Orleans that work with young people and the arts. Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts write that for this show, Hartford Stage partnered with a number of local organizations who tackle the problems facing today’s youth, and especially at-risk and LGBTQ young people, head on.

The creative team for this production include a simple but extremely effective set designed by Jo Winiarski and costume (singular) by Paul Marlow. Impressive lighting was designed by Matthew Richards. The sneaky sound design by Christian Frederickson was sometimes more of a suggestion of sound that brought us more into the scene. The bits of projection were designed by Aaron Rhyne and Mr. Lecesne covered well when one cue was a bit late.

Tickets for the show start at $25, with student tickets at $20. The show runs through Sunday, April 23 at Hartford Stage. The Hartford Stage production of ‘Anastasia’ opens on Broadway on April 24 featuring five performers from the original production that I was so thrilled to review. The final offering in the 2016-2017 season that is coming next to Hartford Stage is George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Heartbreak House’ May 11 - June 11, 2017.

*You can watch the film here: www.thetrevorproject.org/pages...

Pictured: James Lecesne. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Nancy Sasso Janis is a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news to local Patch.com sites. Follow her new Facebook page Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417