The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey

Strictly Limited 12-week run

Following a sold-out run at Dixon Place earlier this year, James Lecesne's stunning one man show arrives at Westside Theatre for a strictly limited run. Revolving around the murder of a gay 14 year old boy, The Absolute Brightness is both a tense police procedural and a touching exploration of the gay experience in modern America. Lecesne plays all of the characters himself, shifting chameleon like from a gumshoe Jersey cop one moment to the formidable beauty stylist Ellen the next. In his review of the Dixon Place production, The New York Times' Charles Isherwood praised the performer as a "dazzling beacon of theatrical talent."

An off-Broadway veteran, Lecesne won an Academy Award in 1995 for his short film Trevor, which tells the story of a gay teenager driven to suicide. The film inspired the creation of The Trevor Project three years later, co-founded by Lecesne, which gives guidance and counselling to LGBTQ youth.

What is The Absolute Brightness About?

Downtrodden Jersey detective Chuck DeSantis is having yet another terrible day at the office when human whirlwind Ellen Hertle bursts through the door to report the disappearance of her nephew, Leonard. As DeSantis delves into the case he stirs up a whole lot of emotions in the small Jersey Town, as everyone reflects on Leonard's life and the bravery he possessed in staying true to himself.