Is there a more enjoyable theater experience than watching a “decidedly straight” actor playing a sort-of-straight character who is inching his way (no pun intended) toward a gay relationship?
Thanks to Quince Productions, we’re about to find out.
The company is producing the Philadelphia premiere of “Just Say Love,” a stage version of the film by the same name that turned heads at last year’s QFest, and at a number of other gay and lesbian film festivals in Palm Springs, New York City, Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio.
In the romantic comedy, written and produced by David J. Mauriello, a young, gay, nerdy artist, Guy, meets and falls for a construction worker, Doug, who may or may not be completely straight.
Translation: He’s about to come tumbling out of the closet.
Anyway, their relationship soon develops in a series of sexy, heartwarming and comical interactions.
Peter Andrew Danzig, a long-time Quince performer, was so enamored with the film that he approached Mauriello and asked if there was a stage version of it. One thing led to another, and Danzig ended up bringing the script to Quince.
The stage adaptation of “Just Say Love” is directed by local director Daniel Student and stars Danzig as Guy and Peter Zielinski as Doug.
Zielinski, a 29-year-old South Jersey native, said there is one significant difference between him and the character he plays.
“He’s sexually curious. I’m decidedly heterosexual. There’s something that makes him approach Guy with some kind of curiosity. At first Doug doesn’t realize it. It’s more than just trying to get a sexual favor from whoever. He’s curious about men and realizes that he is physically and emotionally attracted to this other man.”
He added that, other than their differences in sexuality, he and Doug do share some character traits.
“He can be clever and then he can turn around and be pretty much the opposite at times. I can definitely relate to that. There are times I feel like I can be in a social situation and be the leader and make people laugh. Other times, I can go in and be completely lost.”
Zielinski also said he enjoys the challenge of being heterosexual and convincingly portraying someone who is attracted to a person of the same sex.
“I’ve had theater experiences from the audience perspective in which two men played gay and were not convincingly attracted and it detracted from the overall quality of the show,” he said. “It’s very important to me that the passion and the romantic discoveries are not lost. I am not playing this character as gay or straight. This is a story about two people who fall in love. The meat and potatoes are in the actors’ choices. That’s really the driving force behind this one. This isn’t a murder mystery or a sci-fi adventure. No special effects. The audience should anticipate taking a different kind of trip as they simply watch these two people fall in love.”
Quince Production presents “Just Say Love” through Aug. 29 at Shubin Theater, 407 Bainbridge St. For more information, visit www.quinceproductions.com or call (215) 627-1088. The film version of “Just Say Love” is available on DVD and in stores now.
Larry Nichols can be reached at [email protected].