What: Jerome
Where: Playwrights Horizons
416 W. 42nd St.
New York, NY
Who: Recommended for Ages 17 and Up Due to Subject Matter
When: Through June 21, 2026
Jerome is a story about dying, but also a story about living. Jerome is a dying place, specifically a largely deserted town in the Arizona wilderness. Two of its inhabitants are an aging gay couple, Con and Doan. Con is also dying, and although the play takes place at the beginning of the AIDS crisis, he is not dying from that, and it is never made clear exactly what he is dying from. The show focuses on the relationship that develops between these two men and Bruin, a stranger with a damaged past.
The show deals with a polyamorous relationship, which is right away going to offend some people, although, to be fair, most, if not all, of those people were already going to be offended by a gay relationship, and this is not the show for them anyway. However, anyone who feels that way is really just closing their mind to something beautiful because, at its core, this is a show about love. It is not so much about the physical act of making love as about the spiritual feeling of love in one's heart without any specific religious connotations. Con is a character who loves his partner so much that he wants to ensure that his partner will not be alone when he dies. This selfless act sets the entire plot in motion.
The three men are touchingly played by Stephen Spinella, Jeorge Bennett Watson, and Ken Barnett, as Con, Doan, and Bruin, respectively. Spinella's portrayal of Con is particularly moving. The play is at times heartwarming, at times heartbreaking, and sprinkled with a generous amount of humor. Even though there is a vein of sadness that runs throughout, it is surprisingly hopeful and a little bit uplifting as well.
And that's our view. For more about Jerome or to purchase tickets, visit www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/production-history/2020s/2526/jerome
Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.
Photo credits:
All Jerome production photos by Maria Baranova
Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or PR firms and are used by permission. Any Concerns regarding image usage can be addressed here.
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