Billy Briggs and Colbert Alembert perform in Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning Love! Valour! Compassion!, which runs through Nov. 26 at the Attic Theatre, 5429 W. Washington Blvd., L.A. For ticket information and reservations, call (323) 525-0600, ext. 2.

Interview by Jeremy Kinser
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

Tell me about the characters you play in Love! Valour! Compassion!

Billy: I play Bobby, who is blind and young. He's dating Gregory, but has an interlude with Ramon so he's dealing with that. He grows up over the course of the play.

Colbert: Ramon is a very sexual, passionate individual. He's a dancer first and foremost, but he's also a very young and ambitious person. He has dreams and aspirations like everyone else.

The play is one of the seminal works in contemporary theater. What sort of responsibility do you feel in performing it?

Billy: I think anytime you step into a play you feel a responsibility. I was joking with some people that I hadn't done theater in quite a few years so for me it was a complete challenge just to get back on stage. The show is challenging. In this case it just happens to be a very difficult piece so you feel that responsibility no matter what you're working on and have a responsibility to the audience that they come away with the meaning of what you're doing.

Colbert: I do. It's one of the most groundbreaking plays that not only Terrence McNally has written but for any contemporary writer and for gay theater in general. I think there's certainly a level of responsibility that we collectively share to do justice to a play that not only won so many Tonys and got so much recognition, but also touched so many people on different levels. Every time I go out there I try to serve this role and portray it to the best of my abilities.

Why do you think the play has so much resonance with audiences?

Billy: It's reminiscent to me of Chekhov and how people deal with life. It's not about AIDS. It's not about cheating. There's a time period in which people change and circumstances change them. The play itself tackles a lot of issues that confront gay men. It's such a great piece because it doesn't try to make a statement as much as it allows you to see the humanity in it.

Colbert: First and foremost because it touches on so many different aspects of life in general and particularly for gay men. There are so many different things that this play explores and it really captures the essence of human emotions. Everything you can experience as a human being is depicted in this play.

What message do people take from the show?

Billy: The message is compassion. It's to have love and tolerance and at the end of the day seeing people for who they are.

Colbert: I think it is that you should live your life to the fullest while you can and despite being faced by so many different obstacles, you can't let that stop you from trying to fulfill your dreams. Cherish the moment you may have had. Especially when it comes to a group of friends -- the value of friendship and unity is something that's very important. I hope that people come out of the play with a greater sense of that.