The nostalgic, cultural and social significance of The Boys In The Band is about to get the spotlight, thanks to its gay writer, producer, director and nine draw-card actors.
Lately, more than ever, the gay community appears to be embracing its heritage. The continuing success of gay marriage laws around the globe, and with milestone events such as the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Mardi Gras, gay men, are not only discovering their past, but also acknowledging those who created it.
To that end, it’s of no surprise to see the enthused interest in the classic gay theatre piece The Boys In The Band, as it gets an all-out exclusive makeover for it’s 50th anniversary. The play’s producer is Ryan Murphy, the creator of television’s camped-up Glee and Feud, and the direction will fall under Tony Award winner Joe Mantello, one of the original actors from Angels in America.
Given its anniversary and high-level of LGBTI creativity at the helm, it was only fitting that an all-gay-all-star line up would ensue. With nine strong and diversely gay characters all taking center stage, the cream of Broadway and Hollywood have been brought on board.
Firstly, we have Zachary Quinto (Star Trek’s Spock) as Harold, whose birthday party provides the basis of the story. While Harold is concerned about aging and the loss of youth, he is confronted by his alcoholic frenemy Michael, played by Jim Parsons (Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory). Hunky Matt Bomer (Magic Mike) is Donald, Michael’s boyfriend, currently going through psychoanalysis therapy (a common theme of the Sixties) and equally hunky Charlie Carver (Teen Wolf) is Cowboy, a hired ditzy rent boy present for Harold.
Adding to the star power are Robin De Jesus (Camp) as Emory, the so called ‘flamer’ of the group, Andrew Rannells (The New Normal) is the bed-hopping Larry and Tuc Watkins (Parks and Recreation) is his boyfriend Hank.
Michael Benjamin Washington (30 Rock) plays the African-American Bernard and Brian Hutchison (Vinyl) is Alan the straight gatecrasher friend carrying a secret – but it may not be what you think.
Over it’s fifty years of productions, The Boys In The Band has received much critical acclaim. But the production goes much deeper than how it stands up as stage show. The show has always been seen as a turning point for gay men, because it exposed a snapshot of our lives to the general public – warts and all. It’s an open and honest look at a posse of gay friends, with all the frailities, dramatics and humour that comes with the territory – not unlike their gay counterparts. Think of those other theatrical classics Don’s Party and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?
As gay men, we know our community well, and holding a mirror up to our lives can be an awkward truth, yet it can also be compelling. After all, it is a community so often referred to as family. But there is another side to The Boys In The Band, now being somewhat a time capsule, encompassing a fascinating and captivating past era. The characters represent our forefathers, the pre-cursers to Stonewall and Mardi Gras, who paved the way. Furthermore, they are characters not unlike the gay men of today. A large part of the interest in the play, is the fact that these men gave us our voice today. A voice that still needs to be heard.
As Zachary Quinto reminds us, the story highlights how far we have come, but have yet to go.
“We’ve come so far in the last 5 years, just legislatively. And yet there’s been this explosion of backward thinking and harmful thinking and political ideology that swept our country,” says Quinto. “We are responsible for standing up and being acknowledged and celebrating ourselves and celebrating our community in a way that shows these people that are trying to undo the progress that we’ve made, that we are not going anywhere.”
The Boys In The Band runs April 30 to August 12 at the Booth Theatre New York
