John Glover, director of Hammond's Towle Community Theater's production of "Jeffery," thinks viewers will be able to identify with the emotions the characters in the play exhibit regardless of their sexual preference.

"There are universal themes that I think play out really well in the show," he said. "There's friendship, there's romance, there's coming of age and there's the idea of not giving up that I think applies to a lot of people."

Running through Sunday, "Jeffrey" tells the tale of its title character, a gay waiter and aspiring actor living in the Big Apple in the early '90s who has sworn off sex during the AIDS epidemic. Jeffrey finds romance during this time and must also deal with some harsh realities with the world around him.

"Jeffrey" was penned by Paul Rudnick, who also wrote big screen hits such as "Addams Family Values" and "In & Out." The play won an Obie Award and Drama Desk Award when it first ran in 1993 and made it to the big screen two years later, penned by the openly gay Rudnick and starring Steven Weber ("Wings," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") as the title character.

"The show is really, really hysterical," Glover said. "There's a few poignant moments, but overall, it's a very funny play. I think Rudnick makes fun of his own sexual orientation, which is kind of fun and it's very playful, and the writing is fun and witty."

Starring as Jeffrey in Towle Community Theater's production is Valparaiso's Steven P. Spanopoulos. He is joined onstage by a trio of Chicago-based actors; Tim Manelock from Chicago as his romantic interest, Steve, Byron Scott as his friend, Sterling and Zachary Gipson as his lover, Darius.

Darek Kowal, of Griffith, Eddie Castellanos, of Hammond, Scot T. Kokandy, of Joliet and Mary McClelland, of Hammond, play a combined 41 supporting characters.

For a few of the actors in "Jeffrey," the play has become, according to Glover, a refresher course of sorts.

"Some of the cast haven't been on a stage since high school, and it's been really fun to see them kind of come into themselves as actors again and develop their skills again," he said. "And performing in an intimate cast as opposed to a cast of thousands has been great. They've bonded very quickly and are very supportive of one another. I think it's been a very enriching experience for everyone."

The next theatrical production at Towle Community Theatre, the political musical "The Fix," is scheduled to open July 10.