'Jerome' review: Playwrights Horizons

With New York City Pride Month upon us, Jerome at Playwrights Horizons offers a poignant look at AIDS-era trauma that serves as a counterweight to the escapist, high-energy queer storytelling currently in vogue.

Set in an Arizona ghost town circa 1992, John J. Caswell, Jr.’s polarizing new play offers a distinct perspective from the coastal, cosmopolitan gay cities that receive the most attention.

We follow an aging gay couple, both veterans—Con (Stephen Spinella) and Doane (Jeorge Bennett Watson)— whose quiet lives are upended by a younger stranger fleeing his past. They are quirky, cantankerous, and looking for something to spice up their sex lives.

Sex, survival, and supernatural detours

Soon after the couple invites Bruin (Ken Barnett) home for a threesome, the audience is rewarded with Barnett’s chiseled chest and six-pack abs. Unlike most gay theater, however, the sexual shenanigans occur off-stage, highlighted with comedic lines and unusual lighting.

Director-scenic designer Dustin Wills’ production delivers a jaw-dropping effect at the end of Act I as Bruin’s past implodes. Act II pushes the magical realism further, expanding on a rich tradition of using the supernatural to express the unspeakable trauma of the AIDS crisis. In this way, Spinella’s presence is a profound, full-circle moment for American queer theater. His latest role bridges the historical trauma of the epidemic (he originated the roles in Broadway’s Angels in America and the film adaptation of Love! Valour! Compassion!) with contemporary storytelling.

Stephen Spinella and Jeorge Bennett Watson in "Jerome." — Stephen Spinella and Jeorge Bennett Watson in “Jerome.” Photo by Maria Baranova.

Nineties nostalgia is all the rage these days, and Jerome provides an unusual alternative history. Despite weaving warmth and humor, Caswell transforms a story about illness and mortality into a celebration of love. But the emotional disconnect in the characters lingers, especially as they pivot into a polyamorous dynamic that never quite feels authentic.

Ultimately, Jerome offers flashes of brilliance, but Caswell’s play lacks the narrative cohesion and polish needed to bind its provocative ideas fully.