'Jerome' Off-Broadway review — a portrait of queer life, love, and grief in the American Southwest

Read our review of Jerome off Broadway, a new queer drama written by John J. Caswell, Jr. and directed by Dustin Wills at Playwrights Horizons through June 21.

Summary

• Jerome follows two longtime partners in the title Arizona town who take in a younger man as their third amid the AIDS crisis in the early '90s
• The show does not always reach its desired emotional heights but offers an affectionate look at the lives and histories of LGBTQ+ communities in rural America
• The show is recommended for those interested in queer history and fans of plays like Angels in America and other works by Jerome playwright John J. Caswell Jr.

In 1991, President George H. W. Bush was in office upon the collapse of the Soviet Union. He touted a “new world order,” devising talking points oriented around a global society that was “freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace.” But by the November 1992 election, following multiple economic slumps and conflicts like the Gulf War, Americans seemed to resent H.W. Bush’s handling of this so-called “new world order.” And an entire population that was treated with hostility by his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, continued to be ignored amid the ongoing AIDS crisis.

That isolation appears literal in the titular Arizona ghost town of John J. Caswell, Jr.'s Jerome, whose population is so small that a sign counting the residents now simply reads “ghost town.” At the annual Halloween party, a DJ’s voice hypes up election day to an audience of two: longtime partners Con (Stephen Spinella) and Doane (Jeorge Bennett Watson). The couple — who dress in an oversized bear costume and a tight skirt with disco mirrors, respectively — discuss the possibility of opening up their relationship to guest stars. They agree on townie Bruin (Ken Barnett), a rugged newbie dressed as Master of the Universe, and the following day, Doane brings him home for dinner. Departing from the couple's initial plan for a one-time encounter, Bruin is suddenly swept up as the couple's third.

But while Doane — gruff, measured, decisive — and Con — talkative, whimsical, expressive — open up their lives to Bruin, their new lover gives little in return. Of his past, he only reveals he’s been living in San Francisco and was born in Yuma. Everything else, including why the couple would want to keep him in their lives, is essentially a mystery. As the specter of AIDS begins to encroach on Con’s health and the desert lands of Jerome, the three of them must face what time and morality do to desire, intimacy, and independence.

Bruin’s function as both enigma and disrupter of Doane and Con’s natural order suggests dramatic dynamism; he is at once lover, child, potential successor. But Caswell's script repeats certain beats — refusal to confess, refusal to commit, fear of death and disease — without digging more deeply. Jerome has the uncanny feeling of being perfectly adequate in all of its components, but never truly mesmerizing. Its affection for history and place is lost in dialogue, not reaffirmed by gesture or scenic design, and its love for queer communities is unusual places feels somewhat confined by the creeping non-specificity of Dustin Wills's direction, perhaps meant to make the story feel universal.

There’s a nostalgia evident in the show and in the cast’s performances, and as their relationship and health drama unfolds, it borders on honorific. Yet the tactility of these characters’ lives struggles to materialize despite solid performances and a fine text.

Jerome summary

Doane and Con, who met while enlisted in the Korean War, have been together for more than two decades in the ghost town of Jerome, Arizona. Their relationship, though still devoted, is faltering physically. On Halloween night in 1992, they decide to open their relationship up to the slightly younger, ruggedly charming Bruin, who inserts himself into their lives as their new long-term lover. But Bruin’s withdrawn nature and his strange evening calls, paired with Con’s failing health, force the three of them to figure out how to proceed with one another.

What to expect at Jerome

Dustin Wills’s scenic design has impressive elements: a floor that sinks, a Christmas tree that eerily flickers, walls that drop down and unfold, and a glowing CRT TV. Much of it is matte black and sparsely decorated, and it feels somewhat as desolate as the town itself. Barbara Samuels’s lighting is terrific, with light gently flooding from the couple’s bedroom, creating beautiful chiaroscuro silhouettes of the actors’ bodies.

What audiences are saying about Jerome

Theatregoers at early performances of Jerome have shared mixed-to-positive reviews on the theatre review app Mezzanine.

• “The writing, acting and the set design working all together to bring this play to life made me feel like it was a minute long.” - Mezzanine user Jbid Lyons
• “Incredible acting, fantasticcccc set production, great show.” - Mezzanine user Karmiya Farber
• “What a weird story. I believe the reception of it highly depends on how the audience feels about polyamory where the newcomer feels like a replacement for the sick person.” - Mezzanine user Kat C

Who should see Jerome

• Jerome affectionately considers the history of queer communities in the American Southwest, and those interested in seeing work about LGBTQ+ people in less visible places in the country will want to see the show.
• Fans of Caswell’s last show at Playwrights Horizons, Wet Brain, will be intrigued by the quieter domestic drama of Jerome as it wrangles with mortality, time, responsibility in relationships, and polyamory.
• Fans of Tony Kushner's epic play Angels in America will love seeing the original Prior Walter, Stephen Spinella, give a memorable performance as the chatty, set-in-his-ways Con.

Learn more about Jerome off Broadway

John J. Caswell, Jr.’s throuple dramedy has its charms, but by treating one of its central leads as a puzzle to be solved, Jerome never reaches the spectacular emotional heights its script aims for in contending with queer history and grief.

Learn more and get Jerome tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Jerome is at Playwrights Horizons through June 21.

Photo credit: Jerome off Broadway. (Photos by Maria Baranova)