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In Word of Mouth, James Lecesne flips through
the bands o f a metaphysical shortwave radio
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of apparitions of the Virgin Mary in hopes o f curing
t’s hard to believe that James Lecesne’s
her terminally ill daughter. Perhaps his most endear­
Word o f Mouth is a one-man show. The
ing portrayal, however, is his animated depiction of
performance features an effortless succes­
Trevor, a gay teenager desperately in love with
sion o f diverse characters, each distinctly
Diana Ross, who attempts suicide by swallowing
accomplished physically through the strate­
aspirin only after his self-inflicted shock treatments
gic employment o f a minimalist costume arrange­
fail to deliver him of his nascent homosexual feel­
ment— a hat, scarf, or suspended wig. The depth o f
ings. In a brilliant display of flamboyant gesticula­
Lecesne’s characterizations is fulfilled through
tions, Lecesne captures the hilarious drama of
marvelous conversions o f tone, gesture and vocal
Trevor’s exaggerated plight, while still managing to
delivery, all o f which provide the framework for a
communicate the sobering reality of gay teenage
suicide that exists as a visible backdrop to the
projected comedy.
Lecesne’s performance is part o f his cathartic
response to the loss that he has encountered in his
own life. Lecesne confesses that not only did he
compelling evening of theater that has amazed
want to answer questions for other people, he really
critics and audiences alike on both coasts. The same
wanted to answer those questions for himself. Word
is in store for Portland.
o f Mouth acknowledges the brevity of existence and
Having completed a successful off-Broadway
emphasizes the universal need to tell our own sto­
run with his show— which garnered him the 1995
ries. Lecesne tries to convince us that we must “not
Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award for
best solo performance— Lecesne mounted a “magic
let the time go by without having said what [we]
c a rp e t’’ to u r o f Word o f
Mouth, which landed him in
San Francisco for another
extended run. He will make
his way to Portland via As­
pen, Colo., where his show is
being produced for an HBO
comedy special.
Word o f Mouth, subtitled
“The Story o f the Human
Satellite Dish,’’ opens in the
B rooklyn apartm ent o f a
rather vociferous Italian fam­
ily, where the voices of dead
relatives are being channeled
through a shortwave radio.
This setting establishes the
central narrative that offers
the cohesion of the perfor­
mance along with an array of
colorful characters, the dis­
tinction between whom is ex­
ecuted often solely w ith
L ecesne’s quick pivot on
stage and instant development
of another role. We are intro­
duced to the hot-blooded
Frankie, Frankie’s equally
volatile mother, who hasn’t
quite abdicated her “ M iss
Coney Island” throne, and a
c h a in -sm o k in g
Jew ish
woman with a penchant for
delivering her raspy-voiced
commentary.
The shortwave radio ex­
ists as the metaphysical me­
dium through which the au­
dience is propelled on a jour­
ney across the globe and into
the soliloquies of four char­
acters, each coping with the
u n iv ersal o f death and alien­
a tio n . A p ro p e r e ld e rly
woman— one o f Lecesne’s
more startling characteriza­
James Lecesne as Shirley in W ord o f Mouth
tions— unfolds her story, in­
terrupted by a discourse with her dead servant, as
want to say in life,” an agenda that he communicates
she prepares to leave Africa. Brian communicates
effectively through the memorable characters of his
his story, first from a hospital waiting room as his
comically poignant show.
wife undergoes chemotherapy and later as a janitor
of that same hospital after his w ife’s death.
W ord o f M outh runs March 8-10 and 14-17 at
Even as Lecesne chooses to explore subject
Echo Theatre, 1515 SE 37th Ave. in Portland.
matter of a serious nature in many o f his sketches,
Sunday shows are at 7 pm, all others are at
he strives to approach it with his most entertaining
8 pm. Tickets are $13-$ 14 from Fastixx,
flair. Through another characterization he deftly
224-8499, Music Millennium and
unfurls the comic nuances o f Shirley, a woman
Jelly Bean Cards, and $15-$16 at the door.
from Georgia who dedicates her life to the pursuit
I