Geoffrey & Jeffrey at Performance Network Theatre has stirred controversy over its two lead characters, who were inspired by a popular, local gay couple. Photo: Peter Smith

Missing the point: New play inspires misunderstanding at Performance Network

By Donald V. Calamia

ANN ARBOR – Misconceptions and a misunderstanding of the term "inspired by" are apparently behind a bubbling undercurrent of anger directed towards a comedy at Performance Network Theatre that some believe bathes a recently deceased local theater and gay icon in bad light.

Geoffrey & Jeffrey, which opened Nov. 14 to positive reviews, tells the story of a longtime gay couple whose lives are altered by the arrival of a heretofore unknown daughter and granddaughter. The plot was inspired by a real-life incident experienced by Ann Arbor couple Jim Posante and Charles Sutherland - both of whom have been beloved fixtures in the city's theater and gay communities for decades. But some are unhappy with the production, a reaction that has stunned executives at Performance Network. "It confused us at first, because we didn't know what they were talking about," said artistic director David Wolber, a long-time friend of Posante and director of Geoffrey & Jeffrey. "Jim and Charlie aren't in the show. The characters in the show are very different from Jim and Charlie."

In fact, very little about Posante and Sutherland’s 36-year relationship found its way into Kim Carney's script - except for the arrival of Posante's daughter only a few years before his sudden death this past January. "That - and the love they had as a couple - is where the resemblance ends. It wasn't meant at all to represent Jim and Charley's relationship. It explores two entirely different characters called Geoffrey and Jeffrey and what THEIR relationship might be like," Wolber explained.

Carney worked hard to make that distinction clear, noting in media interviews with Between The Lines, The Ann Arbor News and the Detroit Free Press that the script was "inspired by" Posante and Sutherland's experience, but not based on them. Publicity released by the theater - including the Director's Note inside the show's playbill - echoed the playwright's statements.

Yet that distinction was seemingly lost on some theatergoers.

"I was afraid people would go expecting a loving tribute to Jim - and it certainly is not that," Charles Sutherland said with a chuckle. "The characters are totally different. I had no trouble totally disassociating myself from the characters, because it was very clear that they’re not us."

Although no one has contacted Performance Network directly with their complaints - the feedback has been delivered secondhand - Sutherland has received several. "A friend whose opinions I very much value and who I didn't speak to directly, her comment was that is was disgraceful and not like Jim and Charlie at all."

It's that type of misunderstanding that Sutherland was hoping to avoid. And being the centerpiece of such a discussion is uncomfortable for the quiet, sentimental actor. "I was worried about people who were coming with the idea that they were going to see Jim recreated on stage - and I was afraid that it would color their responses. The characters are not us; they're Kim’s invention. They were not intended to behave like we did. To quote Jim, 'They're not like us at all - they're just so much funnier.'"

Posante should know, since he attended the first reading of the script only weeks prior to his death and was looking forward to directing it. "He basically laughed his ass off throughout the entire reading," Wolber recalled.

Which is why people close to the production are stunned by the negative criticism coming from certain quarters of the community. "Jim loved the play," Wolber said. "He'd really be upset if people thought it was somehow denigrating him or his relationship with Charlie."

One close friend of Posante who attended the opening night performance of Geoffrey & Jeffrey enjoyed it - but with one reservation. "I just wish Jim had directed it like he was supposed to," said gay activist, playwright and filmmaker Antonio David Garcia. "I understand that when you're bringing a new play into the world, you want someone you can trust to help you mold the production - and Jim would have been the perfect person to work with Kim on it."

For Garcia, the fuss over the show makes no sense. "If this was supposed to be a play about Jim and Charlie, Kim would have named the characters Jim and Charlie. She didn't. It's not these two people in her story."

Martin Contreras and Keith Orr, owners of the \aut\ BAR, the popular Ann Arbor hot spot for both the gay and theater communities, were also at the opening night performance - and the buzz they've heard has focused mainly on one question. "The only concern I've heard were from friends that have known Jim and Charlie for many years. 'Is this REALLY their lives?'" said Contreras, who - like his partner - first met Posante more than a quarter-century ago.

Orr said he walked into the theater not knowing how much of it was inspired by Posante and Sutherland's real-life experiences. "So the opening scene - the Twister scene - that was very much like something that could have happened to Jim," he laughed. "But it doesn't take very long at all to realize that there are many things about these characters that clearly are not Jim or Charlie. Once you make that realization, for myself at least, I just went along for the ride and enjoyed the writing."

Neither found the show offensive. "I don't think you can possibly build a case that it's offensive, given the fact that Jim wasn't offended by it," Orr said.

"And that he was looking forward to working on it," Contreras added.

Despite the controversy, Wolber has no regrets about staging the show - except one. "I never thought people would misunderstand that this was some kind of making fun of (Jim) or his relationship - or his life. To me, that's so far out of the sphere of what our intent was. I can't fathom that people could believe that."

With tickets sales down at most theaters, it's impossible to determine if slow sales are partly the result of the controversy. "I'm very concerned about that - that people are coming away unhappy because they were expecting something more - or different," Sutherland said. "I'm unhappy to hear that anybody had an unhappy reaction because of that. It's one thing to say 'I liked the play' or 'I didn't like the play' - but it's something else if I was horrified and offended because it was supposed to be Jim and Charlie. But what a lucky history we had together, and the fact that life is going on full of surprises and interesting projects - I can't imagine a life better than a life spent in the theater."

"Geoffrey & Jeffrey" continues at Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, through Dec. 28. "Buy One/Get One Free" tickets are available for all performances over the Thanksgiving weekend. Call 734-663-0681 for tickets and information.

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