THE BOYS IN THE BAND Broadway Revival - Spring 2018?

I hope he gets Mantello to direct. I have hoped that if it was ever revived Mantello would be at the helm.

Updated On: 9/16/17 at 12:14 AM

Lea Michele as the band!

I just want a promise from someone there will be a shirt for purchase that says "That's French....with a cedilla"

I love this play. It's such an insightful time capsule. Ryan Murphy makes me nervous though.

ChildofEarth said: "Just thinking about Murphy's favorites, and it could be amazing: Matt Bomer, Cheyenne Jackson, Denis O'Hare, Jim Parsons, Max Greenfield, Darren Criss, Neil Patrick Harris, Ricky Martin, Andrew Rannells, John Stamos...

 

Not that all would fit, but he certainly has an arsenal of men he goes back to for many, many roles.

 

"

Whatever else you can say about him, the Ryan Murphy Hollywood harem is incredible. Half of them could rotate playing the Cowboy.

imeldasturn said: "I saw the play in London a few months ago and it hasn't aged well at all"

 

Hasn't that become kind of the point? At the time, it held up a mirror to the very real self-hatred coursing through the gay community. Whenever I watch the movie or read certain parts of the script, I think of how lucky we all are that people like this (whether they meant to or not) changed society. 

imeldasturn said: "I saw the play in London a few months ago and it hasn't aged well at all"

I'm guessing you mean the Park Theatre's production? That production was pretty dismally acted (except for Mark Gatniss and Daniel Boys). When you don't have a great Michael the whole production can go south.  And Gatniss's boyfriend whoever he was, was NOT a great Michael.

 

Saw the London production as well, happy I got to see it on stage, but it really is an awful bitter play. Was never a fan of the movie. I think my big issue was by the time I came out ( 1984 ) I'd never met anyone that was portrayed in the play that way in real life. Not to say they didn't exist. 

Mart Crowley, who wrote this play was Natalie Wood's personal assistant and she  encouraged him when he was writing it.  He wrote it while he was working for her and she fully supported him.  I would love to see a re-staging of this play.

 

Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood and Matt Crowley, author of The Boys in the Band

Updated On: 6/29/17 at 02:27 AM

Regarding the recent London production I couldn't make up my mind whether it was the writing or the acting but I think anyone going in expecting to see a rediscovered masterpiece will be disappointed. A period piece, yes, and an interesting one for documenting the attitudes of the time and perhaps setting where we are now in context.

Scripps2 said: "Regarding the recent London production I couldn't make up my mind whether it was the writing or the acting but I think anyone going in expecting to see a rediscovered masterpiece will be disappointed. A period piece, yes, and an interesting one for documenting the attitudes of the time and perhaps setting where we are now in context.

"

I had a similar concern when reading about the revival, while I love the play and the film version, and I will undoubtedly see the production happily,  I am not sure we live in a general society that "gets" campy anymore (how is Emory going to read to the masses today?), plus I think period pieces work better overall when there is a redeeming quality to the outcome if that makes sense. Not just hey here is a slice of time with people who werent likable for a myriad of  reasons and kind of stayed that way lol. 

I'm not sure if I feel it is not the right time for it or if I feel it hasn't fully held up....I'm conflicted. While I love it, it hasn't held up for me like Falsettos or Angels in America for instance...but then again I don't think it was ever meant to be a social commentary piece as much as a character study. 

Time will tell. 

Updated On: 6/24/17 at 08:12 AM

To those indulging in dream casting, remember that no one in this show is past his early 30s. Denis O'Hare could play one of their fathers.

Even with a cast of tv celebs, I suspect that this won't be universally well received. It conveys a simplistic and unattractive message about gay life that straights still like to hear, but not many gay folk do.