GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

JANUARY 10, 1997

Evenings Out

Spending night wit

RIQUE WINSTON

by Dawn Leach

Cleveland Heights-Once again, Dobama Theatre will be the site of the Cleveland premiere of a gay play: My Night With Reg, a comedy by Kevin Elyot.

My Night With Reg is a British play about six gay men trying to find fulfillment and love against the background of the AIDS epidemic. The meaning of the title becomes clear as the characters gradually reveal that they have all had sex with Reg (who not only

Many have argued that gay characters should be played by gay actors. Morris said that the whole cast does an excellent job, and there was no squeamishness on the part of heterosexual cast members about playing gay roles.

never appears in the play, but dies by the second act.)

"This is a story about college friends who spent three years at university together," said openly gay cast member Danny Morris, "and they still maintain a close friendship, even though they may not see each other very

often."

Morris plays Reg's boyfriend, Daniel.

"I was thrilled to get the part of Daniel," he said. “He's got a sense of humor, he's warm and friendly and very happy, and you see how that changes. As an actor, it's a wonderful opportunity to show so many ranges of emotion."

Morris has been in several gay plays in Cleveland, including Zero Positive, Christmas on Mars, and Jeffrey.

The

part of young and handsome Eric is also played by a gay actor, Steve Tiderman. While many have argued that gay characters should be played by gay actors, Morris said that the whole cast does an excellent job, and there was no squeamishness on the part of heterosexual cast members about playing gay roles.

Morris said that while Reg centers around SIX gay men, the fact that they are gay is not the focus of the story.

"It's a play about friendship and family," Morris said, "in the sense that when a lot of us become adults, in the gay and straight world, our friends become our families. We have to love our parents and our brothers and Sisters since we're related to them, but we choose our friends."

Reg is about loneliness as well as friendship. Much of the plot centers around characters agonizing over whether to reveal their true feelings. Guy, whose apartment is the

Mark Mayo and Steve Tiderman (r) share a moment in My Night with Reg.

setting for the play, painfully represses his lifelong crush on his college buddy, John. John never tells Daniel about his affair with Reg.

John and Guy choose to avoid conflict in an attempt to avoid pain, which ironically results in chronic pain from a self-imposed loneliness, because it keeps them from being close to the men they care about.

There is a theme of missed opportunities: Guy obsesses over the memory of a drunken night at the university when he is convinced

that John nearly propositioned him. On the day Reg died, Daniel unknowingly interrupted his conversation with John just before Reg could return his "I love you," and the omission haunts John ever after.

Morris said that he expects this play will haunt everyone who sees it.

"I think personally that the audience will walk away from this show and be thinking about it for days, weeks, possibly months afterwards," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if we had some repeat customers."

My Night With Reg opens January 17 and runs through February 9. Dobama says that the production includes "adult situations" and nudity. After the January 19 show, NASA medical director Dr. Stephen Weirich will lead a discussion on recent developments in AIDS treatments. Douglas Braun, a social worker at the Benjamin Rose Institute, will lead a discussion on same-sex commitments after the January 23 show. For more information, call Dobama at 216-932-6838.