Characters Discussed
Arnold Beckoff
Arnold Beckoff, a female impersonator, twenty-five years old, Jewish, and gay. Arnold plays Virginia Hamn, a singer of torch songs. He is proud of his sexuality, and his life revolves around the gay culture. Arnold meets Ed, a bisexual schoolteacher, at a bar called the International Stud. He is devastated when Ed jilts him to take up with a woman. Arnold later meets a young hustler, Alan, and they become lovers. Still in love with Ed and not over his hurt, he is unfaithful to Alan, making routine trips to the back room of the International Stud for indiscriminate sex. When Arnold finally meets Laurel, the woman in Ed’s life, at Ed’s country home, he tells her that Ed is using her to prove his own normalcy. Arnold and Alan plan to adopt a child, but Alan is killed by a group of homophobic punks before the adoption goes through. Arnold assumes the responsibility alone, caring for David, a fifteen-year-old juvenile delinquent. Ed finally leaves Laurel and moves onto Arnold’s couch until he can find another place to live. Arnold indicates to Ed that there is a good chance that they can renew their relationship.
Ed Reiss
Ed Reiss, a Brooklyn schoolteacher. He is thirty-five years old, handsome, charming, and, at times, insensitive. Ed claims that he is bisexual; Arnold labels him a closet case. Ed approaches Arnold at a gay bar and, for two weeks, sees him consistently. Confused over his sexuality, he is unable to make a commitment to Arnold or to the homosexual lifestyle. He becomes involved with a woman named Laurel and, after participating in group therapy, decides to marry her. When Arnold and his new lover, Alan, visit Ed and his wife at their farmhouse near Montreal, Ed experiences pangs of jealousy and seduces Alan. Ed eventually realizes that his relationship with Laurel is not a panacea and decides to leave her. Turning to his only gay friend, Arnold, he moves in and becomes a surrogate father to David. He wants to renew his relationship with Arnold, but Arnold will accept him only if he is willing to confront his sexuality. Ed assures Arnold that he is at least willing to try.
Alan
Alan, a former hustler turned model. He is eighteen years old and extremely good looking. When he was fourteen years old, he arrived in New York City with dreams of opening a disco. He quickly learned that the only reason men would give him money was in exchange for sex. These sexual encounters provided connections that led to his career as a model. One evening in a nightclub, Alan gets drunk, becomes involved in a fight, and is almost knifed; he is saved by Arnold, who is in full Virginia Hamn attire. As a result, he falls deeply in love with Arnold, even tolerating his infidelity. Alan remains faithful until his trip to the Reiss farm, where he is seduced by Ed. After deciding to adopt a child with Arnold, he is killed by a street gang.
Laurel
Laurel, Ed’s average-looking, liberal-minded wife. She has a history of falling in love with gay men and has numerous gay friends. She attends group therapy and has involved Ed in these sessions. Despite knowing that Arnold is Ed’s former lover, she invites him and his new lover up to the Reiss farmhouse. When she learns that Ed has seduced Alan, she leaves him. She returns to him, however, and when Ed finally decides to withdraw from the relationship, Laurel has difficulty letting go.
David
David, Arnold’s adopted son. He is fifteen years...
(This entire section contains 842 words.)
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old, bright, handsome, and gay. Mistreated in foster homes, he lived on the streets for three years. Although skeptical and streetwise, he has been transformed in his six months with Arnold into a fun-loving prankster, comfortable with both home and school. At times, he is a typical teenager, but he displays an uncanny wisdom. Not wanting Arnold to devote his whole life to him, David would like to see Arnold and Ed back together.
Mrs. Beckoff
Mrs. Beckoff, Arnold’s mother. She is a widow in her sixties who has retired to Florida and is presented as a stereotypical Jewish mother. She loves to meddle and kvetch, or complain. She rambles constantly, saying very little. She cannot accept Arnold’s homosexuality and prefers to deny it. When she meets David, she takes a liking to him but is completely opposed to Arnold’s plans to adopt him. She is insensitive to her son’s feelings about the death of Alan (although the cause of death has been concealed from her) and is incensed that he would dare to compare their affair with her many years of marriage. They quarrel, and Arnold asks her to leave. Before she departs, they reconcile, and she tries to comfort Arnold about Alan’s death.
Lady Blues
Lady Blues, a blues singer employed between scenes. She sings 1920’s and 1930’s torch songs in the tradition of Helen Morgan or Ruth Etting.
Characters
Alan
Alan is an attractive eighteen-year-old who works as a model and dreams of
becoming an actor. He starts a relationship with Arnold after Arnold ends
things with Ed. Although significantly younger than Arnold, Alan is used to
being desired for his appearance. Alan makes a living as a hustler, earning
money through selling sex.
Arnold Beckoff
Arnold is the main character of the play, first appearing in the segment titled
The International Stud. The play begins with Arnold delivering a
monologue where he expresses his loneliness and longing for a partner who will
fully commit to him. Arnold's relationship with Ed is filled with love and
passion, but Ed struggles with guilt over his sexuality. When Ed leaves Arnold
for a heterosexual relationship, Arnold finds a new, much younger partner in
Alan. They pledge to a "marriage," but tragically, Alan is murdered in a street
attack five years later.
Despite this loss, Arnold continues with the plan he and Alan had to adopt a child, and David is placed with him as a foster child. In the segment Widows and Children First, Arnold faces his mother, leading to an intense argument that nearly tears the family apart. Eventually, Arnold comes to terms with his mother and opens up to the possibility of Ed re-entering his life.
Lady Blues
Lady Blues is the singer whose songs transition the scenes in The
International Stud. While she doesn't have a direct role, her music sets
the mood and functions like a Greek chorus, enhancing the on-stage action and
dialogue. Her songs are open to audience interpretation and are not meant to
directly comment on the events.
David
David is a fifteen-year-old foster child whom Arnold considers his son and
wishes to adopt. David is gay and has endured abuse from his biological
parents. Having lived in various foster homes, he is placed with Arnold to
experience a positive role model who embraces homosexuality. David is
intelligent and mature beyond his years, and it is evident that he deeply loves
and respects Arnold.
Laurel
Laurel is the woman Ed meets while still involved with Arnold, eventually
becoming Ed's lover. In her mid-thirties, she has had many relationships, none
of which have been fulfilling, as her partners were either bisexual or married.
Laurel sees Ed as her last chance for happiness, though she genuinely loves
him. She proposes inviting Arnold and Alan to her farm for a weekend getaway to
prove to herself that Ed will choose her over Arnold.
Ed Reiss
Ed is introduced in The International Stud as Arnold's romantic
partner. Despite his affection for Arnold, Ed desires acceptance in the
heterosexual world, which leads to his relationship with Laurel. By the
conclusion of Fugue in a Nursery, Ed and Laurel are engaged. Ed
returns at the start of Widows and Children First after separating
from Laurel. The audience later discovers he seeks to reconcile with
Arnold.
Mrs. Beckoff
Mrs. Beckoff is Arnold's mother, who is widowed. She disapproves of Arnold's
homosexuality and continues to wish for him to marry a nice girl. During her
visit, she encounters David, unaware that he is Arnold's adopted son. Mrs.
Beckoff and Arnold eventually address their differences and reach an
understanding. By the play's conclusion, she shows a readiness to accept both
Arnold's homosexuality and his adoption of a gay teenager.
