Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "I've been saying it since age 15 and I'll share it here too. I don't care if you are Larry Kert, if you portray Bobby as gay you lose the whole point of the piece. It essentially turns into a coming out story, when in reality the moral is SO much more deep and complicated than that.
"
Years before I worked with him and heard his approach to the role, I saw Larry Kept in COMPANY. He didn't mince through the evening. And it's not like he was playing in Peoria, where Prince, Furth and Sondheim wouldn't see what he was doing.
In his account to me and others, he was describing the subtext he brought to the part. What an actor uses for subtext doesn't necessarily read literally to the audience, even though it may make his/her performance seem richer and more cohesive.
As I said above, I agree with you that the "coming out story" oversimplifies what is a complex view of relationships, gay or straight.
***
Speaking of which, one of the things I liked about Neil Patrick Harris in the part was that he was, in my experience, the first Bobby who would actually bring soup to sick friends or be trusted to babysit their kids. Often times, Bobby is played so intensely, one doesn't really believe all the couples actually LIKE him.
