The historical and absurdly quotable (Oh Mary don’t ask.) 1968 Mart Crowley play The Boys in the Band will be prancing back into our lives starring ther cast of the Broadway revival on NETFLIX on September 30.
Based on the Tony Award-winning play that changed a generation, The Boys in the Band follows a group of nine gay men who gather for a birthday party in 1968 New York City – only to find the drinks and laughs interrupted when a visitor from the host’s past turns the evening upside down.
Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins. Produced by Ryan Murphy. Directed by Joe Mantello. Based on the groundbreaking work of Mart Crowley.
I SAW THE FILM ‘BOYS IN THE BAND’ AT THE ODEON LEICESTER SQUARE WHEN IT WAS RELEASED HERE IN 1970, A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE GAY LIBERATION FRONT WERE FORMED IN THE USA AND UK (it was demonstrations and leafleting against this Hollywood movie through which I discovered and joined GLF). The film’s strongest points were that it countered some stereotypes, mentioned gay love and included a Black gay man. But these points were outnumbered by the other stereotypes it exaggerated. Worst of all, it implied that every problem facing gay men were self inflicted, arising mostly from self-hatred, with lines like “If only we didn’t hate ourselves so much” and “Show me a happy homosexual and I’ll show you a gay corpse”. Absolutely no mention of homophobic laws, discrimination and anti-gay hatred. No surprise, since it was unlikely that Hollywood at the time would produce a balanced portrayal of either gay or black communities. It did for gay men what ‘Gone With the Wind’ and ‘Birth of a Nation’ did for Black people, which is justify their third-class status in society. It’s often promoted as a comedy, which I don’t understand.