After Glow - upcoming Chicago production

I found it to be a mediocre play, poorly written. It sells tickets with nudity. It just played in Buffalo and didn't even get a review.

It's an amateurish play with a surprisingly conservative take on relationships that found mild NY success only in appealing to gay men who really wanted to see gratuitous nudity.

Updated On: 12/28/18 at 04:41 PM

perfectliar said: "l0l said: "markypoo said: "The cast is incredibly gorgeous; IMHO."

I question your taste if this is why you see theatre.

IMHO Afterglow was an embarrassment of gratuitous nudity wrapped in a story that was so ignorant of its own privilege and lack of a coherent message. I was sitting there, hoping it would end as soon as possible. There were no redeeming qualities to it. The recent "Daniel's Husband" wasn't as bad, and it was still atrocious. Why write a play about apolitical good-looking affluent white gay men? What good does it do?

We are in desperate need of a queer theatre experience that would encapsulate the intricacies, intersections, and complexities of being gay, trans, gender non-conforming, asexual, bi, lesbian, trans, etc. in the post-gay marriage world of increasing xenophobia andopen hostility. Neither "Afterglow" nor "Daniel's Husband" are even remotely interested in being those plays, whic

Can we stop being mad at what things aren't? Of course those plays weren't those things. They didn't set out to be. There are plays that ARE about those experiences and lives, so why be mad that these two particular plays aren't? What is the point of holding that against After Gkow? It succeeded because people wanted to see naked men, not an exploration of intersectionality. That's like saying you hate Chinese food because it's not pizza."



Well said, @perfectliar.

Updated On: 12/29/18 at 11:02 AM

There are plays that ARE about those experiences and lives, so why be mad that these two particular plays aren't? What is the point of holding that against After Gkow? because people wanted to see naked men, not an exploration of intersectionality. That's like saying you hate Chinese food because it's not pizza"

Those plays are nowhere near Broadway, sadly. My complaint is that Broadway and off-Broadway is all atrocious Chinese food, no pizza at all.

Stop throwing money at stupid plays about apolitical affluent white gays!

The problem with Afterglow is that it was written by a playwright to reflect upon something that happened to him in life, and he then chose to produce and direct himself, so there was no one to say "no", push him, or provide an alternate perspective.

I don't think it is wrong for anyone to be pro monogamy - but heck, the shaming you receive in the gay community these days if you say you want that is ridiculous - but I think the play is just flat out aggressive in how it colors the characters. Some of the nudity in the show worked, but a lot of it just smacked of a trollish creative who wanted to get pretty fellas naked. I would be rather curious to see the exact same plot explored by a more skilled playwright and a director intent on serving the material and not their own biases and thirsts.

As far as the production goes, I respect what the actors and designers did. They managed to do quite a lot with very little. 2/3 of the cast were strong (I'd have loved to see the understudy as the third), and the scenery and lighting designs were attractive and smart, even if the money was not their to support them.