New Love

Set in 1987, during the height of the AIDS epidemic, New Love, written and directed by Frederick Timm, is a wake up call–a call to love and emotional intimacy and a prelude to traditional as well as same sex marriage. With AIDS infection still on the rise, with people still getting infected with HIV by being sexually indiscriminant and emotionally immature, the play talks about the value of love and sex within the boundaries of love, commitment and the latest social issue–marriage for any relationship, Gay or Straight. As serious as the subject of AIDS is, New Love is first and foremost a hilarious romantic comedy.

The play tells the story of five young people who are heading a big change in their lives. David Henderson, a depressed designer, and Leslie Rhinecliff, a bubbling fancy lawyer, met twenty years ago at a wolf retreat weekend in Buffalo, and are currently roommates in Murray Hill, Manhattan. David is turning 40 in three days. On his last birthday, his ex-lover, Robbie, died of AIDS. Robbie’s death sends the two roommates into absurd situations, disruptions and disillusionment. For the last year, David was isolated in his house. Leslie, on the other hand, was compulsively dating almost every man alive. They decide to re-evaluate their sexually permissive lifestyles, and to approach love and sex in a new way.