by Laura Bloom Farber

The Boys in the Band is a 1968 play by Mart Crowley.  It is one of the earliest plays to portray gay life.  The action all takes place on a single evening on which Michael hosts a birthday party for his friend Harold, attended by six invited guests, and one uninvited and unexpected guest.  As the characters consume more alcohol, the bitchy humor of the first act morphs into downright cruelty in the second act.

Recognize that this is a 1968 period piece.  (The costumes themselves are a clue.)  Until 1973, the American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental disorder. Although eight of the nine characters, as well as many others of the period are “out” to each other, they were closeted and marginalized in the general public. These are men lacking self-esteem who take their unhappiness out on each other.  I can’t help imagining how the story would play out in the present.

The actors, in alphabetical order, include Brent Anderson, Dwayne Arvinger, Ron Coronado, Adam Hieter, Rob Kreisinger Denk, Larry Martin, Luke Rainey, Sabastian Reda, and Kam Sisco, many of whom are familiar to Palm Canyon Theatre audiences.  They are so uniformly excellent that I can’t single out any of them for special attention.  Eric Stein-Steele, with whom I was familiar as a fine actor, did a superb job both as director and set designer.  The set and the costumes, designed by Derik Shopinski, captured the time and place of the play.  I highly recommend this production.

The Boys in the Band will run through Sunday, April 21, with performances on Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $32 for adults and senior and $17 for students and children, plus $3 in fees. For tickets, call 760-323-5123 or visit www.palmcanyontheatre.net. The theater is located at 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262, between N. Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive, on the north side of E. Alejo Road.

The rest of the 2023-24 season consists of:

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (May 10 -19, 2024)

BYE BYE BIRDIE (July 5-14, 2024)

Photo Credit: SONNY VON CLEVELAND