In the heart of WeHo - at the Coach Playhouse - a troupe of actors is taking a stab at a live stage production of Mart Crowley's acid-tongued comedy "The Boys in the Band".
In a nutshell, the plot centers around a circle of gay friends, who gather to celebrate the birthday of one of their "own".
Referred to as - the frankest depiction of Homosexuality ever to hit the stage - the well-written play has become a classic over the years.
Although Crowley's cast of characters tend to be stereotypical, and often trot the boards in over-the-top cliche scenarios, it is a foray into the "gay" world worth catching.
The material was adapted for the screen and faired well in major U.S. cities where there were larger concentrations of "gay" audiences to appeal to.
For the most part, the reviews were stinging.
Among major reviewers, Pauline Kael stridently reported, that there was absolutely nothing redeeming about it.
Her critics accused that the nasty review was triggered by the fact she hated William Friedkin (who directed).
Variety said it "dragged" but had a "perverse interest."
Time Magazine described it as a "humane and moving picture."
Although The LA Times praised it as "unquestionably a milestone" - the puritanical powers-that-were (at the time) - refused to run the studio's ads in the daily.
Musings out of the gay ghetto in San Francisco (at the Chronicle) were harsh.
After labeling the project - "Uncle Tomism" - one reviewer asserted that "Boys" belonged in another time in view of the attitudes of its characters and their self-lacerating vision of themselves.
You be the judge!
In a nutshell, the plot centers around a circle of gay friends, who gather to celebrate the birthday of one of their "own".
Referred to as - the frankest depiction of Homosexuality ever to hit the stage - the well-written play has become a classic over the years.
Although Crowley's cast of characters tend to be stereotypical, and often trot the boards in over-the-top cliche scenarios, it is a foray into the "gay" world worth catching.
The material was adapted for the screen and faired well in major U.S. cities where there were larger concentrations of "gay" audiences to appeal to.
For the most part, the reviews were stinging.
Among major reviewers, Pauline Kael stridently reported, that there was absolutely nothing redeeming about it.
Her critics accused that the nasty review was triggered by the fact she hated William Friedkin (who directed).
Variety said it "dragged" but had a "perverse interest."
Time Magazine described it as a "humane and moving picture."
Although The LA Times praised it as "unquestionably a milestone" - the puritanical powers-that-were (at the time) - refused to run the studio's ads in the daily.
Musings out of the gay ghetto in San Francisco (at the Chronicle) were harsh.
After labeling the project - "Uncle Tomism" - one reviewer asserted that "Boys" belonged in another time in view of the attitudes of its characters and their self-lacerating vision of themselves.
You be the judge!
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