The Boys in The Band - The Wrong Play To See Before A Gay Engagement

The Boys in the Band

What was life like for gay men before Stonewall? If it's anything like the lives portrayed in Mart Crowley's 1968 off-Broadway play, "The Boys in the Band," then it was a downer. This week, Nicole and Rolando discuss the play that inspired 1970's The Boys in the Band, one of the first American films to revolve around gay characters. What place does it hold in queer cinema and what can the movie teach audiences about the gay experience? Are the feelings of self-hatred and heart break the characters experience relics of their time or do they still hold true today?

 

Then, just like the play would experience a revival 50 years later, so too would the film with 2020's "The Boys in the Band," starring an all-gay ensemble cast composed of recognizable actors such as Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Jim Parsons, and Matt Bomer. Does the remake stay faithful to the source material? What can film about a character's struggle with internalized homophobia give teach audiences about "pride?" And, what can we make of the new ambiguous ending?

 

Listen to find out.