The last time David Pevsner turned up on Queerguru pages, it was when we reviewed his book DAMN SHAME – A MEMOIR OF DESIRE, DEFIANCE AND SHOW TUNES. We described it as a conversational romp through New York and LA’s theatrical, gay sex and activism worlds from the 1980s to the present day.
We loved the fact that this successful queer actor was so open about fighting society’s (and the queer community’s) pre-conceived notions of gay sex, body shaming, and ageism. His current work promoting sex positivity in older men and fighting ageism within the queer community is probably the most important work of his life, so it’s good to see that he seems to have as much energy as ever.
He manages to combine this with his acting and he just about to star in Mr Parker a new play by Micheal McKeever. Pevsner plays Terry Parker finds himself at a crossroads in his life. After the death of his partner of 30 years, he finds himself suddenly single and unable to adjust to a world that has moved on without him. After a night of heavy drinking, he wakes up with a 28-year-old bartender-slash-Uber-driver, Justin (Nick Giedris). These two very different people begin a tentative relationship, looked at askance by Terry’s formidable former sister-in-law, Cassie (Marsha Mercant). What starts out as a one-night stand becomes a journey of self-discovery for a man trying to let go of the past and move forward, while dealing with the pressures of being middle-aged, gay and alone in the ever-changing landscape of today’s America.
The veteran critic Rex Reed described this May-December romance as “a very intelligent, absorbing look at contemporary relationships and the conflicts that keep us all from aging with joy and peace of mind. This play is a real discovery.”
MR PARKER runs April 12 – 21 at the Pearl McManus Theatre at the Palm Springs Women’s Club,
Labels: 2024, David Pesvner, Michael McKeever, Mr Parker play, Palm Springs Theater
