Review: Ground Floor Theatre’s Jack & Aiden

My review of Jack & Aiden: a musical so nice, I saw it twice.

The first time I fell victim to what my editor calls “Austin time” and arrived late, missing the first number and only slipping in thanks to a technical issue that covered my hasty entrance. Having enjoyed the show and also still on the hook for a review, I prostrated myself at the mercy of a PR manager, who got me a seat for a second performance.

This time, I arrived 10 minutes early with Jasmine Lane, my co-worker plus-one to keep me honest (and whose reviews you’ve probably enjoyed previously). She’s a theatre kid, much more so than I, so I also brought her to test whether it was my inexperience rounding the play’s edges. But my initial reaction to Jack & Aiden only grew stronger on a repeat viewing: This play totally rules.

First, the premise: On his first Grindr hookup since a tragedy set him back several thousand emotional millennia, trans man Aiden (Laura Leo Kelly) meets the shockingly open and literally nude cis gay man Jack (Justin P. Lopez).

Through the onstage narrative crafted specifically for Ground Floor Theatre by Lane Michael Stanley (director of Austin-made rehab film Addict Named Hal), and music/lyrics spun by Tova Katz, these two characters go from casual bed-sharers to puppy love to hasty engagement to a long estranged but slowly reigniting romance. Along the way, secrets are shared. A dead fiancé! Drug and alcohol addiction! Enjoyment of Axe body spray! These revelations all help grow two characters who we see only in flashes over their life together. Kelly recreates the slow confidence build-up from hunched shoulders to straight-backed trans euphoria to a capital T. Their body language helps support both dramatic moments – such as their stirring performance of panic-attack anthem “54321” – and light-hearted asides.

Ribbing references to Aiden’s transness, such as his no-prep-work bottoming privilege or cringe-worthy hookups with clueless cis guys, together with Kelly’s naturalistic delivery builds a three-dimensional character I expect to walk off stage and into the real world.

I heap the same praise on Lopez and his performance as Jack. Thank God for second chances, or I might have missed his shocking entrance (Jasmine mentioned this is one of her favorite ways for a play to start: nudity). But that lack of covering characterizes Jack completely: Lopez plays the recovering addict with a sweet vulnerability protected just barely by witty remarks. From the confidence given in post-STI CVS Pharmacy pep-talk “Slow Down” to the tender melancholy of breakup tune “Could Never Say No,” Lopez delivers Jack’s journey with clear intention – vulnerable at the start, but stronger, wiser by the time the stage lights lower.

A play about gay hookups lives or dies by the sensuality: Kelly and Lopez interact with incredible chemistry. Their entwined hands, eager kisses, and simulated sexual positions all moved with the smoothness of an established couple. So it wasn’t a surprise when I checked the program to see an intimacy director credited front and right-justified: Andy Grapko. Seeing this independent theatre production take a step to help their actors be comfortable and capable in replicating a close physical relationship was heartening. The benefit was felt in every kiss, touch, and pantomime of cunnilingus.

Concerns lingering after my first Jack & Aiden viewing with were resolved by the second show. In particular, the scenic design by Gary Thornsberry opened wider for me. The stage is decorated by shadow boxes, each containing items which correspond to either Jack or Aiden and moments in their past – and present. On my second watch, I noticed more connections to Aiden’s deceased fiancé in the set decoration and my understanding of that relationship deepened: After all, it’s the details that haunt us in grief.

When walking back to the car post-musical, I asked Jasmine’s opinion of the show. She said it was good, but that she sort of expected that. “I knew it had to be good if you were willing to see it twice.”

Consider that your sign to grab tickets for two nights.

Ground Floor Theatre's Jack & Aiden

979 Springdale #122, groundfloortheatre.org
Through Dec. 16
Running time: 2 hrs.