The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (53)
See it if you want to see a great one-man-show about how love and hate profoundly effect a small town community.
Don't see it if you are homophobic or don't care for solo plays
See it if you want to see a masterclass in character acting, or if you want a good introduction to solo shows.
Don't see it if you already know you hate solo shows (though, really, this one is a good one!)
See it if You like watching a masterful solo performer at work.
Don't see it if You are looking for a show with bright and fluffy subject matter.
See it if you want to be entertained and moved without having to pay Broadway prices.
Don't see it if you will be disturbed by the play's moral flaw, which could and should have been averted with a slightly different ending.
See it if you want a positive message despite/predicated upon a senseless crime via charismatic storytelling in a streamlined one-man-show. Uplifting.
Don't see it if you want bells & whistles with your production. This show is ideally suited for portability, i.e. traveling to youth centers or campuses.
See it if you want to see a very talented actor tell a good story from the viewpoint of several characters
Don't see it if You need a lot of bells and whistles in a show
See it if you like seeing an actor really show their abilities and you have an open mind about lgbt issues
Don't see it if you're uncomfortable with lgbt issues
See it if you want to see one man create many unforgettable characters.
Don't see it if you don't want to see one man create many unforgettable characters.
Critic Reviews (28)
"It's a sad, sweet story, competently written and acted. If I seem dissatisfied, it's because the show seems a bit formulaic. I would have liked more richness, more subtlety, better writing. In other words, I would have liked it to dig deeper. It's all a bit too nice."
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"The multi-talented Lecesne is not only a captivating solo performer, his written word, and not a one is wasted here, is at times funny, poignant, insightful, and the 80 minute show moves along seamlessly. We come to care for Leonard, even though we never meet him. We feel like we have, and we wish we could."
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"A show about the brutal murder of a 14-year-old boy should not, logically speaking, leave you beaming with joy. And yet that’s the paradoxical effect of 'The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey,' a superlative solo show written and performed by James Lecesne, himself a pretty darn dazzling beacon of theatrical talent...Among the most remarkable and moving aspects of the show is how vividly Leonard himself is evoked, although he is not a character in it, just a blurred image seen on a screen."
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"Lecesne's performance and powerful story is not to be missed, and shines a light on the consequence of fear and the effect one being can have on an entire community. It's truly a beautiful piece of theatre."
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"Lecesne's writing and performance, both of which are crafted with care, are embodied with a stirring outcast spirit, and executed with unabashed vigor. While there are other types of performance that make the hard work look easy or add expensive sparkle to the mundane, the craft and skill conspicuously on stage in 'The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey' is an exhaustive effort that packs a huge emotional punch."
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"You may call what James Lecesne does in 'The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey' what you will — performance art, a one-man-show, a monodrama. What it is, decidedly, is an invigorating theatre experience, both moving and highly entertaining...As impressive as his “presto change-o” act is, the more wonderful aspect of Lecesne’s art is that he somehow allows you to stop being impressed with what he’s doing and instead become drawn into the story he’s telling."
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"A beautiful gem of a performance-piece, 'The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey' pulls together author and performer James Lecesne’s gifts as storyteller, actor, advocate and activist to dazzling effect. Neither showy nor flashy, it pulls off the enviable feat of being quietly understated while also delivering an emotional punch that leaves audiences thinking and talking about what they’ve just seen. It’s what truly great theatre should be, but so rarely is."
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"There’s wondrous magic going on at Dixon Place in James Lecesne’s astonishing one-man show, 'The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey'...It’s both marvelously amusing and deeply moving, often within the space of just a couple of lines. Lecesne’s gift for quick transitions between characters extends to his writing and the emotional rollercoaster of 'Absolute Brightness' proves enormously satisfying."
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