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“The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey” is written and performed by James Lecesne.[/caption]
By Dawn Watson
Leonard Pelkey probably had no idea how deeply he touched others. After all, he was just a fictional and flamboyant 14-year-old boy in a small Jersey shore town. But after his death, the young man would get his due as friends and neighbors realized that his luminous life force had changed them forever.
Thus is the uplifting idea behind the story of “The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey,” staging at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor from Monday, July 18, through Sunday, July 24. Written and performed by James Lecesne—a playwright, author and performer who has been called one of the greatest storytellers of his generation—the imaginary teenager’s story, first told in his book “Absolute Brightness,” shines as a beacon of hope and light for all young people, especially those who march to the beat of their own drummer.
“Everybody knows one of those irrepressibly alive kids,” says Mr. Lecesne, the writer of the Academy Award-winning film “Trevor,” the impetus behind The Trevor Project, which has provided outreach for hundreds of thousands of LGBT and questioning youth in crisis. “I wanted to tell a story about them and the brightness that they bring. And to let people know that it’s okay to be who they are, especially if they are different.”
Despite its tragic start—the investigation into the boy’s disappearance—the show is a humorous and powerful tale that is packed with entertaining moments and a hopeful message, says Mr. Lecesne, a social change activist who has written for television’s “Armistead Maupin’s Further Tales of the City” and “Will & Grace.” In it, he portrays every one of the 70-minute show’s nine characters.
Much of “Brightness” draws from his own personal experience, he adds. After all, he was one of those kids.
“Back then, being gay was considered a mental disease, a sin and a crime. I knew that was wrong,” he says, adding that he’s spent his adult life advocating for youth. “Even today, so many young people, when they get to a certain age are told that they need to turn down the volume. When they do, that’s a loss for everybody.”
“I got the message back then, so I turned it down,” he continues. “Then I spent the rest of my life turning it back up.”
In the end, “Brightness” is all about empowering people to be accepting of themselves and others, says Mr. Lecesne—a New York Drama Desk- and Outer Critics Circle Award winner.
“I don’t think that there are enough advocates for young people. I really don’t,” he says. “But I have such faith in them, and am so proud of the strides that we’ve made.”
One such experience that illustrates his point is what happened when he recently performed “Brightness” at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, he adds. It was right after the Orlando nightclub shooting at the Pulse nightclub in June, and so the Y management decided to open up the doors and allow additional opportunity for audience members to view the show for free. Approximately 900 people showed up, reports Mr. Lecesne.
“Especially when there’s great joy, sorrow, loss or triumph, people really need to come tougher and feel connected,” he says. “This was a moment when people were really hungry for their humanity, and I’m so grateful for the experience.”
At Bay Street, he says that he hopes to entertain, and also to get people to dig deep and think.
“I want them to ask themselves what is the brightness that they bring into this world,” he says. “What are they doing to make this world better?”
“The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, performed by James Lecesne, with music by Duncan Sheik, directed by Tony Speciale and produced by special arrangement with Darren Bagert and Daryl Roth, will stage at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor from Monday, July 18, through Sunday, July 23. A special benefit performance for Live Out Loud is planned for Saturday, July 23. For additional information and reservations, visit www.baystreet.org.
