THEATER REVIEWS : How to Weave Laughs Into an AIDS Play

Playwright Paul Rudnick knows one of the secrets of getting through life’s worst moments. Laughter. And his original stage version of “Jeffrey,” which details one gay man’s odyssey through the hell of a world humbled by AIDS, is very funny. Laughter doesn’t solve problems, but it certainly makes the bumpy roads smoother.

Director John Ferzacca’s staging at Orange Coast College’s Drama Lab Studio Theatre strikes a gentle and often very touching balance between the inevitable sadness of Jeffrey’s struggle with living in fear of AIDS and his joyful acceptance of the fact that life goes on, and can be fun.

Sexually obsessive Jeffrey (Todd Kulczyk) hasn’t had an encounter in months, and his chance meeting with, and attraction to, Steve (Theodore Schraff) is marred by Steve’s announcement that he is HIV positive.

Jeffrey’s terror is palpable, and his refusal to even touch Steve in safe sex self-defeating. The play follows their roller-coaster ride toward happiness, with numerous stops along the way to examine society’s and the media’s attitudes toward the non-gender-specific threat of AIDS.

The play’s heaviest moments are affecting, with bittersweet understanding and a realistic sense of the courage of the human spirit. Its lighter scenes employ that magician’s trick called misdirection, waving a giddy kerchief to distract the viewer from the serious statement being made almost subliminally. Ferzacca’s rhythms are sure, and very theatrical.

There are a few halfhearted performances by minor players in the very large cast, but most of the major characters are solidly formed and neatly handle the swift changes from Rudnick’s humor to his sober approach to his real subject matter.

Kulczyk is particularly strong in Jeffrey’s emotional journey through the intricate maze. Schraff also is very strong as Steve, with a rewarding intricacy of conception that bolsters Steve’s candid approach to his condition.

As Jeffrey’s good friend, the older and smoother interior designer Sterling, Anthony Houghton lacks that same intricacy and depth in a rather surface reading that misses much of the humor and contributes an unwanted emptiness to his final scene just after the death of his young lover, Darius. Darius, a dancer who has spent a career in the chorus of “Cats,” is effectively played by Christopher Spencer, but his camp could be toned down.

In the often cartoon-flavored scenes Rudnick uses to relieve the tension, some cameo appearances stand out. Rita Renee is the ultra-sincere talk-show guru Debra Moorhouse and brightens her all too brief scene. Laura Sternbach is the organizer of a society AIDS benefit and is every bit the thoughtless hypocrite who thinks she’s doing good.

As a randy priest at St. Patrick’s to whom Jeffrey goes for help, Kevin Michaels has genuine comic restraint, especially when computing God into George Bernard Shaw manipulating his characters in “My Fair Lady” and the Devil into Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “decadent” giant musicals. Restraint also marks the numerous cameos by Todd Weldon, playing gay stereotypes but with kindness and affection.

* “Jeffrey,” Drama Lab Studio, Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Tonight and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Ends Sunday. $8 to $9. (714) 432-5880. Running time: 2 hours.