Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – JC Lee’s observant comedy TO MY GIRLS investigates white male privilege in gay culture, thereby comprehensively critiquing a generation of gays

• By drediman
• April 26, 2022
• No Comments

This past weekend at Off-Broadway’s Tony Kiser Theater, I attended one of the final performances of Second Stage Theater’s production of To My Girls by JC Lee (the production’s last performance was on Sunday). Set in Palm Springs, Mr. Lee’s observant new comedy tells the story of a diverse group of longtime 40-ish-year-old friends who convene to catch up and relive their good old days as carefree gay youths in New York City (they’ve since largely moved apart from each other). As their vacation at their well-appointed Airbnb unfolds, pent-up grievances are aired out, considerable shade is thrown about, and relationships evolve.

The play calls to mind seminal gay-themed works like Terrance McNally’s Love! Valour! Compassion! and Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band. But unlike those two works – which tell their stories pretty much though the lens of the gay white male experience – To My Girls defiantly questions why gay culture (at least in the U.S.) has prioritized gay white men, and challenges their longtime position at the nexus of the culture. Although this all sounds rather serious, Mr. Lee manages to bring considerable levity to his dialogue (those zingers!), all the while emphatically and articulately making his points. In addition to investigating the prevalence of white privilege in gay culture, thereby comprehensively critiquing a generation of gays (mostly successfully), the playwright also distinguishes his play by keenly depicting the role of social media in the contemporary gay lifestyle. As such, To the Girls feels utterly current, if a bit pointedly agenda-driven.

Stephen Brackett’s peppy production is bright, polished, and handsomely designed (the detailed, kitsch-perfect Airbnb set is by Arnulfo Maldonado). Overall, the performances are amusing, if understandably on the sit-com side of the acting spectrum. The pleasantly diverse cast includes such established actors as Bryan Batt (Mad Men), Jay Armstrong Johnson (On the Town), Carman Lacivita (Marvin’s Room), Noah J. Ricketts (Frozen), Britton Smith (Be More Chill), and Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock). Each intentionally work within the mold of gay stereotypes, skillfully and caustically walking the line between flamboyant caricature and fully-formed human being.

RECOMMENDED

TO MY GIRLS
Off-Broadway, Play
Second Stage Theater at the Tony Kiser Thaeter
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Closed