BWW Reviews: Desert Rose Presents a Moving Production of LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!

Although there is humor in LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, now playing at the Desert Rose Playhouse, in Rancho Mirage, Terrence McNally's three-hour and ten-minute play is not fun to watch. It is, however, completely absorbing. The ensemble cast and director Jim Strait pull off a difficult script with energy and feeling. When a reviewer (me) leaves a performance moved to tears by the sadness in the characters' lives, the show has successfully conveyed its message.

Each year, Desert Rose Productions, a 501(c)(3) organization operated by married couple Jim Strait (artistic director) and Paul Taylor (managing director) and dedicated to producing gay-friendly theatrical offerings, produces a gay heritage play that has achieved milestone status. LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, this year's gay heritage production, won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1995 and later was made into a movie.

The pain is palpable as a group of eight gay men gather at a Dutchess County, New York lake house during the three holiday weekends in the summer of 1994. Gregory (John Ferrare, an Equity member), the house's owner, is a middle-aged choreographer who fears losing his creativity. His lover Bobby (Jason Hull), is in his twenties and blind. Gregory's British accompanist, John (Terry Huber), has written a musical that no one produced, and John is bitter. However, when John's twin brother, Jim (also Terry Huber), who is dying of AIDS, arrives in the US to obtain emergency medical treatment, the others discover that Jim is the fine human being that John is not. Arthur (Mark Demry) and his long-time partner, Perry (J. Stegar Thompson), both middle-aged, are able to "pass" as straight, and both feel the survivors' guilt of being healthy when so many of their friends have been cursed with HIV. Flamboyant Buzz (Kam Sisco), a Broadway fanatic who can spout statistics about every show, himself carries the virus and is starting to sicken. Ramon (Richie Sandino), John's lover, is a young, handsome dancer who admires Gregory but wastes no time in seducing Bobby, before setting his sights on others in the group.

Much of the play is painful to watch. In 1994, the AIDS epidemic was still rampant among gay men. The year old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy allowing gay people to serve in the military under stringent restrictions, despite being an improvement over the old law requiring automatic discharge of gay service members, still required gay individuals to remain firmly closeted. Not a single state permitted same sex marriage. McNally implies that many gay men of the era internalized the general population's malice. Much of the banter among the group is too barbed to be labeled good-natured. Several of the characters are petty people who do things such as spy on their friends and bear grudges. At one point, one of the characters opines that gay men won't be able to treat others kindly until they learn to love themselves.

All the characters are aware of the ticking clock. Yet, this is not a play about death. Instead, it tells the story of a group of people determined to live life to its fullest even in the valley of the shadow - the characters in the play keep plugging along. We in the audience learn to adore some of them and despise others, but we can't be ambivalent.

Although an ensemble production's success depends on the entire cast, three actors deserve special accolades. Kam Sisco (Buzz) takes on a role originated on Broadway by Harvey Fierstein. He struts around with outrageous affectations to cover his frustrations about not being able to do anything about the AIDS scourge. Mr. Sisco's interpretation contains the right balance of bizarre behavior and pathos. Jason Hull, playing the blind Bobby, keeps his eyes straight ahead and avoids any sign that he can actually see - a difficult technical feat for an actor. Terry Huber deserves double accolades for his portrayal of identical twins with opposite personalities. Mr. Huber does such a fine job of changing his mannerisms and expressions back and forth depending on which twin is on stage at any moment, that I had to remind myself that both characters are played by one actor. Furthermore, his portrayals of both the odious John and the sympathetic Jim are thoroughly convincing.

One point of which prospective audience members must be aware is the significant amount of nudity. While most of the nude scenes are restrained, there are a few explicit full frontal moments that I found slightly uncomfortable. Nevertheless, there is nothing in the show that is likely to create offense to a gay-friendly audience, although it is definitely intended for adults only.

LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! will be presented through Sunday, February 15, 2015, on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Desert Rose Playhouse is located just north of Frank Sinatra Boulevard, near the Emperor Buffet, at 69-620 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. The Box Office opens at 4 p.m. before evening performances and at noon on Sundays. Tickets are $30 for the evening performances and $28 dollars for matinees. Tickets are available at the box office, by phone at 760-202-3000, and by internet at www.desertroseplayhouse.org. There is no service charge for internet or phone orders.

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