New York, April 2007 - Day Ten

TODAY: "Tea & Sympathy" "Some Men"

This is probably the gayest day of theater a person could experience. The only thing that could make it even the slightest bit more homocentric would to have added a performance of "Gypsy."

"Tea & Sympathy" is a revival of a 1953 play that must have been quite racy and even shocking in its time. The story concerns a boys' boarding school and the scandal that ensues when one of the teachers is seen skinny-dipping with one of the boys, who is already perceived as an "off horse" and "not a regular fellow." The accusations fly fast and fierce, and the only ally this poor 17-year old has is the wife of the most homophobic (and therefore possibly gay himself) of his tormentors. She, of course, is ready to stand behind him, not because he's gay, but because she feels it's not fair to accuse him of such a heinous crime without solid evidence.

Taken as a period piece, I think the production is quite successful, especially given how far off-Broadway it is. The incriminations, the shame, the teasing -- all combine to paint a picture of what it was like to be young and gay (or any age and gay) in the early 1950s. When I was a kid, being a faggot was the worst thing you could be -- and it must have been a LITTLE better in 1973 than it was in 1953.


Whatever gay issues "Tea & Sympathy" didn't cover at the matinee, "Some Men" got to at the evening performance. "Some Men" was written by Terrence McNally, who also authored the current disaster, "Deuce." Now we know where all his passion and energy was going. Where "Deuce" was false from start to finish, "Some Men" has almost nothing but truth. There's not a whole lot of structure here, other than the fact that the show begins and ends at a same-sex wedding ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a few of the characters (played by eight actors) appear in multiple scenes.

The show felt almost like a collection of scenes from half a dozen great gay plays: one about the Stonewall pioneers, one about gay marriage, one about "don't ask, don't tell," another about AIDS, one about gay parenting, one about gay men finding God and still another about long-term relationships. There are probably a few more in there, but the great thing about it feeling like a collection of the best scenes from different plays is that you got a show full of great scenes.

"Some Men" is a terrific show, and not just for gay men. The two straight friends we went to the show with liked it even more than we did!

TOMORROW (last day): "The Coast of Utopia: Salvage" "Love/Musik"