With
gay
audiences,
“The
Boys
in
the
Band”
elicits
different
reactions.
Some
view
it
as
a
landmark
gay
classic,
while
others
look
at
it
as
an
outdated
chestnut
full
of
stereotypes
and
unhappy
gay
men.
For
those
who
do
appreciate
the
show’s
snapshot
of
gay
life
in
the
late
‘60s
and
early
‘70s,
the
40th
anniversary
production
of
Mart
Crowley’s
play
opens
next
week
at
Whole
World
Theatre.
This
version
takes
pace
in
New
York
in
1969,
two
months
prior
to
the
Stonewall
Riots.
Michael
(Charles
Green)
is
hosting
a
party
for
his
friend
Harold
(Dan
Balmer)
with
their
closest
gay
friends
in
attendance.
Before
the
night
that
begins
as
quippy
and
cute
is
over,
unexpected
guests
arrive,
and
the
mood
turns
darker
as
the
alcohol
flows.
The
off-Broadway
production
of
“The
Boys
in
the
Band”
opened
in
1968
and
became
a
film
two
years
later
with
the
original
cast.
“I
think
the
movie
is
the
Cliff
Notes
version
of
the
play,”
he
says.
“The
play
fleshes
out
the
characters.”
Green
says
his
character
is
one
of
the
most
troubled.
“Michael
is
the
most
self-loathing
of
all
them,”
Green
says.
“I
get
the
impression
he
has
no
self
esteem
and
has
had
problems
sustaining
a
relationship.”
THE
ATLANTA
VERSION
INTENDS
to
bring
out
the
lighter
side
of
the
play.
“It’s
a
party,
and
every
party
has
some
awkward
moments,”
Green
says.
“But
the
overall
mood
here
is
one
of
celebration.”
Green
says
that
so
many
of
the
issues
that
were
relevant
then
are
still
with
gay
men
today:
self
esteem,
religious
guilt,
obsession
with
physical
beauty,
open
relationships.
“And
of
course,
therapy!”
Green
laughs.
“I
think
what
will
surprise
folks
is
that
the
play
is
very
funny
and
very
topical,”
he
adds.
“Even
though
it
was
written
a
long
time
ago,
I
don’t
think
it
will
be
viewed
as
a
period
piece.”
Ironically,
director
Michael
Snow
has
seen
neither
the
film
nor
any
stage
version.
When
he
first
started
talking
about
the
production,
he
heard
the
spectrum
of
opinions.
“I’ve
heard
all
the
reactions,”
he
laughs.
“One
friend
told
me
it
scared
the
shit
out
of
him,
and
another
said
it
was
one
of
the
funniest
things
he’d
ever
seen.”
Snow
dedicates
the
show
to
Thomas
Boyd,
a
friend
who
recently
passed
away.
Boyd
was
a
director
who
did
a
lot
of
work
at
Whole
World.
“I
moved
away
to
New
York
a
number
of
years
ago
but
I
wanted
to
work
with
him,”
Snow
says.
“I
read
this
play
and
was
thinking
of
doing
it
with
him.”
After
Boyd
passed
away,
Snow
decided
to
come
back
to
Atlanta
and
commence
with
the
production.
When
reading
the
script,
Snow
laughed
about
how
much
it
reminded
him
of
Boyd.
“He
was
funny,”
Snow
says.
“He
called
people
Mary
and
had
a
name
for
everyone
[much
like
some
characters
in
the
play],”
Snow
recalls.
Snow
admits
he
is
excited
to
be
able
to
bring
the
play
to
a
generation
that
may
have
never
heard
of
it.
“You
have
to
look
back
to
understand
how
we
got
here,”
he
says.
“This
show
is
just
as
important
as
going
out
to
Blake’s.”
The
following comments were posted by our readers and were
not edited by SOVO. We ask that you
treat others with respect; any post deemed offensive will
be removed.
