When fun-loving, flamboyant 14-year-old Leonard Pelkey goes missing from a small New Jersey shore town, the secrets of the townspeople are brought to light, and everyone is forced to examine the effect of one boy’s life on a fractured community.
Adapted from James Lecesne’s novel by the same name, this 80-minute monodrama filled with nine different colorful characters, begins with the news of Leonard’s disappearance and follows the criminal investigation to its startling conclusion.
A luminous force-of-nature whose magic is only felt once he’s gone, Leonard Pelkey becomes the unexpected inspiration for a town as they question how we live, who we love and what we leave behind. While we never meet Leonard, his presence is felt throughout the show by a pair of rainbow-heeled Converse high tops fashioned from flip-flops and sitting on a nearby table.
Mike Pavone, Actor
The play is skillfully directed by Nathan Cummings, who is the Education & Associate Artistic Director of Cinnabar Theater.
The actor, Mike Pavone, a distinguished and versatile actor, embodies the nine characters he plays on stage. He skillfully captures their physical presence, posture and manners of expression as the play stirs quite a range of emotions.
Playwright James Lecesnehas a gift for ferreting out hope from anguish. In his 1994 short film “Trevor,” a flamboyant 13-year-old Diana Ross superfan survives a suicide attempt. After that work won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Lecesne co-founded the Trevor Project, a 24-hour crisis hotline for LGBTQ youth (call 866-488-7386 or text “Trevor” to 202-304-1200).
Quotes
“A Whodunit with a Heart Of Gold!” —The New Yorker “BRAVO! LEAVES YOU BEAMING WITH JOY.” —The New York Times “Life-Changing Entertainment!” —Forbes “A Crowd Pleaser Loaded With Laughs!” —The Huffington Post