After I posted the snippet of a Brantley review above that ended up a paean to Dennis O'Hare, I investigated other reviews of the original. Though a Tony-winning Best Play, the script always had detractors and reviews voiced some reservations*, about both the plot and the depiction of various aspects of LGBTQ temperament, the Mason character already considered a stereotype in 2002 by Brantley in one of his two reviews (and to be fair, he felt O'Hare mitigated that aspect of the writing). I didn't have that impression -- gay men can be lonely, needy, and any other recognizable qualities; role model LGBTQ characters airbrushed of human flaws can be two-dimensional. But it'd be curious how the play's sociopolitical prism lands today. Any thoughts among those who've attended? Does the play's point of view feel 2022? Does it matter?
*Variety: "Unfortunately, that kind of truth — not to mention some other kinds — is largely missing from long stretches of the play. Greenberg has a tendency to imbue too many of his characters with the intelligence and acerbic eloquence that sits easily on Mason but seems suspect when it’s handed out in similar doses to both Lemming and his best pal on the team, the thoughtful Kippy Sunderstrom.."
"...the actors cannot disguise the synthetic nature of much of the dialogue. Too often it seems driven by a relentless search for continual comic payoffs rather than the actual truth of the intriguing situation Greenberg has chosen to examine. And while Sunjata gives an appealing, confident and often sensitive performance as the man at the calm center of the storm he’s kicked up, Darren remains something of an emotional cipher; the character and his motivations never really come into focus."
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Updated On: 3/17/22 at 11:08 AM
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