Boys in the Band was a groundbreaking play and movie from the 70s which explored the subject of gay men and the closet, and along the way became the first movie to drop the C-bomb. Mark Gatiss has revived this play for the first time in 20 years and it still packs a major punch.
The main premise of the play is that the lead character, Michael, is throwing a birthday party for his gay friend Harold only for his straight college friend Alan to make an unannounced visit. Alan represents the worst of 1960s intolerance and the party quickly descends into chaos with each of the characters questioning their lives, their attitude to being gay and their relationships. There are some serious themes here including religious guilt, racism and the nature of relationships.
The main premise of the play is that the lead character, Michael, is throwing a birthday party for his gay friend Harold only for his straight college friend Alan to make an unannounced visit. Alan represents the worst of 1960s intolerance and the party quickly descends into chaos with each of the characters questioning their lives, their attitude to being gay and their relationships. There are some serious themes here including religious guilt, racism and the nature of relationships.
Whether it is still entirely relevant or a period piece is open for debate and beyond the scope of my personal experiences. But what the play undoubtedly does do well is provide an insight into the prejudices of the late 60s and how that governed the way gay men perceived themselves.
The dialogue is a real strength. There are some really very amusing witty lines delivered by an excellent cast that punctuate and lighten some of the darker themes running throughout the play. Mark Gatiss is brilliant as Harold often relieving the tension with a witty putdown and a remarkable costume. The first half is at times extremely funny as the characters bounce of each other with increasingly amusing one liners. The arrival of the Cowboy as the birthday present for Harold provides an additional injection of comedy and as a character the Cowboy provides a counterpoint to the intellectual hand wringing of the other party guests.
The second half becomes increasingly dark as Michael struggles to deal with who he is and tries to and fails to destroy those around him including his homophobic college friend, whilst each of the characters tries to deal with their own demons. Michael with his religious guilt and identity, Alan and his intolerance, Larry and his promiscuity, Emory and his casual racism towards Brandon, Hank and his divorce, Harold and his vanity and all wrapped in the theme of coming out.
A thought provoking and entertaining play highly recommended.
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