Matthew Reddin

Boulevard’s “Jerker” offers a poetic exploration of love via phone line

The Robert Chesley play, set during the early days of the AIDS crisis, depicts two gay San Francisco men, whose relationship begins with phone sex but blossoms into something much richer.

By - Sep 15th, 2013 12:28 am
Jerker

Bill Jackson (L) and Marty McNamee play J.R. and Burt, two gay men in 1980s San Francisco who begin their relationship merely as phone sex partners but develop a stronger, loving bond over time. All photos credit Troy Freund.

In the half-lit rehearsal space of the Boulevard Theatre, Bill Jackson leans in and says two sentences that resonate: “This is not just a play. It’s a reminder.”

What he’s talking about is Jerker, a play by Robert Chesley written and taking place during the early days of the AIDS crisis. Jackson, along with fellow actor Marty McNamee and director/narrator Mark Bucher, will be performing a staged reading of the piece at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center for one week only, Sept. 18 to 22.

Chesley’s play – formally titled Jerker, or The Helping Hand: A Pornographic Elegy with Redeeming Social Value and a Hymn to the Queer Men of San Francisco in Twenty Telephone Calls, Many of Them Dirty – begins with a strikingly frank inciting incident: Jackson’s character, J.R., calls up Burt (McNamee), a guy who had previously slipped him his number in a bar, for spur-of-the-moment, semi-anonymous phone sex. Their relationship stays purely sexual in the beginning, but as the play continues, J.R. and Burt grow closer emotionally despite never meeting.

Presenting Jerker as a staged reading means the Boulevard’ll eschew blocking, lighting and sets, simply reading their parts from their chairs. All three are adamant, though, that this is neither a preparatory workshop for a full staging nor a cost-cutting measure; the decision is a conscious choice meant to draw attention to Chesley’s poetic language and the play’s emotional impact.

“To say that this reading is preliminary to a staged production is like saying any play is just preliminary to a movie; it’s ridiculous,” Jackson said. “This is designed for a smart, discriminating audience.”

Keeping the focus entirely on the words also makes it easier to pay attention to them in the first place – as McNamee says, “If it was staged, the focus would be on the naked guys on stage.” – but the words themselves aren’t initially easy, for either the performers or the audience. Both Jackson and McNamee admitted the phone sex scenes at the beginning of the play were intimidating at first, but have since grown comfortable with it under Bucher’s direction. Still, Jackson doesn’t hesitate to level a warning at potential audience members who are unsure about the play given its sexually explicit language and the initial scene’s subject matter: “If you can’t handle that, don’t come.”

Having seen some of those early scenes, it’s hard to argue against his recommendation. But those who aren’t afraid of those first scenes have an incredibly moving work of drama to look forward to – and yes, a reminder as well, of a time when AIDS was terrifyingly new, and that it’s still an issue facing us more than 30 years later.

Jerker runs Sept. 18 through 22 only, with all performances at 7:30 p.m. at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 1110 N. Market St. Tickets are $15, $10 for students and seniors, and can be ordered at (414) 744-5757 or online at Brown Paper Tickets. This play is recommended for mature audiences 18 years and older.

For a taste of Jerker’s emotional core, watch this cutting of the play filmed by TCD’s Howard Leu, depicting a conversation between J.R (left) and Burt about a friend of Burt’s recently admitted to the hospital, one of the first times the two open up to each other about their lives.

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0 thoughts on “Boulevard’s “Jerker” offers a poetic exploration of love via phone line”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Saw this last night. It’s a terrific show – thanks for reviewing it. Smaller theaters like Boulevard are doing great work and deserve the coverage!

  2. Anonymous says:

    I’m sorry that I missed this reading – great to hear someone saying that the words should be emphasized!

  3. Anonymous says:

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