Queens Tribune

The day he popped the videotape into the VCR was the day that Andrew Goffman’s life changed drastically. From the deep recesses of his father’s closet, the 11-year-old boy stumbled across the tape and watched in awe at what the unclothed people on the screen were doing in front of his eyes. That was the day Goffman had discovered pornography.
“It really affected me cause I never looked at women, sex, or my father in the same way again,” he said. “I thought these pornos were sort of reality. I remember when I would ask girls out on dates, I’d say ‘hey Susie, lets go out for ice cream and I’ll bring the whipped cream.”

As a tribute to one of his favorite pastimes, Goffman, now living in Forest Hills, has created a play called “The Accidental Pervert.” The play delves into the awkward, sleazy, and downright dirty corridors of his experiences with porn, brought forth with sincerity and humor. “The Accidental Pervert” will be performed Nov. 17 and Nov. 19 at the 45th Street Theatre in Manhattan.

The play is told in narrative form, with Goffman
occasionally stepping back in time to portray some of the prime characters in his young life, including his mother, father, and himself as an adolescent teen. The former stand-up comedian says that though there are many raunchy references in his play and maybe even a X-rated clip here and there, the performance also focuses on his coming of age as a mature adult.

“The show really touches on the humor of the subject,” said Goffman. “I think it’s a smarter, sophisticated way of approaching it. It’s an adult topic but the show isn’t sleazy or perverted. My hope for the show is that people can say ‘hey, this guy’s telling the truth,’ or that they can relate to it.”

Goffman said he feels that a major turnaround in his maturation into an adult came when he met his wife. If that didn’t have the full effect on him, he said, then having a daughter chipped away any residue of his former perverted self. When his daughter was born, his days as a stand-up comic, as well as his days as a porn addict, came to an end. “I am a good, responsible father now,” Goffman says. “I don’t even miss the tapes anymore.”

Things weren’t always so squeaky clean in his life.
Goffman said that though he never talked with his father about sex, the porno tapes in his father’s closet were a part of his sexual education. “Instead of teaching me to open the car door for girls on a date or the difference between a flathead and a Phillips screwdriver, he left me these tapes,” Goffman said with a laugh. “That was his legacy, I guess.”

As part of the Double Helix Theatre Company, Goffman’s play was one of only seven plays selected out of hundreds of applicants to receive a grant for production. Working with veteran Director Charles Messina, Goffman said that he was able to successfully transform his script into a well-tuned performance. Though there will be only two shows at the 45th Street Theatre, “The Accidental Pervert” will move to an off-Broadway venue in the winter of 2006.

More than anything though, he’s a happily married man and proud resident of Forest Hills. “I love Austin Street and I love taking my daughter to parks,” said Goffman. “Living right near the E or F train lets you go right into Manhattan. Being in Forest Hills feels like you’re in the suburbs and there’s nowhere else I want to be.”

The 45th Street Theatre is located at 354 W 45th St Call (212) 582-0241 for more information.