Tour De Force Performance by James Lecesne in THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY

Philadelphia Theatre Company concludes its 2016-2017 season with the May 17-June 4 run of The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, written and performed by James Lecesne, and directed by Tony Speciale with original music by Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). Lecesne's critically acclaimed performance won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Solo Performance and was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show and the Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance.

With a single preview on Wednesday, May 17, Press Night is Thursday, May 18 at 8:00PM. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays until June 4. Tickets starting at $15 are available by calling the PTC Box Office at 215-985-0420 or visiting PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.

In The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Lecesne takes us to a small Jersey shore town to unravel the story of Leonard Pelkey, a tenaciously optimistic and luminous 14-year-old boy. Leonard has gone missing and Lecesne brilliantly inhabits nearly a dozen personalities and voices of the people who shared Leonard's life, including the detective assigned to the case. Together they form a portrait of a town which has been unexpectedly inspired by Leonard, forcing them to question how they live, who they accept and what they leave behind.

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey opened at The Westside Theatre in 2015, produced by Darren Bagert and Daryl Roth. The play is based on Lecesne's Young Adult novel Absolute Brightness which received the William Morris Award by the American Librarian Association and was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.

"My hope with The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey is that it will get audiences thinking about the obstacles young people face when they make up their mind to be true to themselves and inspire each of us to be absolutely bright," said Lecesne.

James Lecesne (Playright and Performer) wrote the screenplay for the short film Trevor, which won an Academy Award and inspired the founding of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour suicide prevention and crisis intervention lifeline for LGBT and questioning youth. He has appeared on Broadway in The Best Man and Off-Broadway in Word of Mouth, which won Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, The Boys in the Band, Motherhood Out Loud, One Man Band, and Cloud 9. On television he was seen in Armistead Maupin's Further Tales of the City which was nominated for an Emmy Award and in the ITVS series Vicious with Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. Lecesne has written three novels for young adults, including Absolute Brightness, and he was Executive Producer of the documentary film After the Storm, which follows the lives of 12 young people living in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Tony Speciale (Director) is the Artistic Director of Abingdon Theatre Company in New York City. He conceived, co-authored and directed the world premiere of Unnatural Acts for Classic Stage Company, which received Drama Desk and GLAAD Media Award nominations, and has also directed A Midsummer Night's Dream featuring Bebe Neuwirth, Christina Ricci and Taylor Mac for Classic Stage Company, Handbook for An American Revolutionary for The Gym at Judson, and Stet at Abingdon Theatre Company. His regional credits including Barry Manilow's Harmony at ALLIANCE THEATRE/Ahmanson Theatre and Romeo and Juliet at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Speciale served four seasons as Associate Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company, holds an MFA in directing from Columbia University, and is the recipient of a Princess Grace Theatre Honorarium and Suzi Bass Award.

Duncan Sheik (Original Music) won Tony Awards for Best Orchestrations and Best Original Score for Spring Awakening, which also received a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. He has written music for American Psycho, Because of Winn Dixie at Delaware Theatre Company and Whisper House at Old Globe Theatre.

The Absolute Brightness of Leonad Pelkey has scenic design by Jo Winiarski, lighting design by Matt Richard, sound design by Christian Frederickson, costume design by Paul Marlow, projection design by Aaron Rhyne, and original animation and photography by Matthew Sandager.

Founded in 1974, Philadelphia Theatre Company is a leading regional theatre company that produces, develops and presents entertaining and imaginative contemporary theatre focused on the American experience. By developing new work through commissions, readings and workshops, PTC generates a national impact and reaches broad regional audiences. Under the guidance of PTC's Executive Producing Director Sara Garonzik since 1982, PTC supports the work of a growing body of diverse dramatists and takes pride in being a home to many nationally recognized artists who have participated in more than 140 world and Philadelphia premieres. PTC has received 57 Barrymore Awards and 180 nominations. PTC's home on the Avenue of the Arts, the SuzAnne Roberts Theatre which opened in October 2007, has helped revitalize of Center City Philadelphia's thriving arts district.

Photo credit: Peter Hapak

To post a comment, you must register and login.