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AIDS Era Romance: A Triangle in a Volcanic Pit
3 Jun
Summary
- A couple invites a third person into their marriage amid the AIDS crisis.
- The play is set in a metaphorical volcanic pit, symbolizing grief and loss.
- The drama explores themes of love, mortality, and control in the early 1990s.
The play "Jerome" is a drama set in the early 1990s, exploring a complex romance against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic. The narrative centers on Con and Doane, a devoted couple in their sixties living in a metaphorical volcanic pit, symbolizing the emotional landscape scarred by AIDS.
Seeking to add variety to their decades-long monogamous relationship, Con invites a younger man, Bruin, into their lives. This decision sparks a triangular romance, the complexities of which are explored as the characters grapple with mortality, desire, and the fear of leaving a partner alone.
The production's set design, a literal pit with magma-like surfaces, starkly represents the pervasive grief. While initially referencing the Arizona mining town of Jerome, the play quickly shifts focus to a generalized sense of loss.
As the three-pointed relationship unfolds, tensions arise due to Bruin's undisclosed past and Con's manipulative tendencies, driven by his own mortality. The play ultimately questions the survival of this new family unit against the pervasive shadow of illness.
