SAN ANTONIO – This Pride Month, Classic Theatre revived “The Boys in the Band,” a 1960s play about identity and relationships in the gay community.
The play takes you back in time, showcasing nine diverse gay characters living in 1960s New York who gather for a party before things go awry.
“What I like about the characters is the fact that the playwright, Mart Crowly, gave us nine very believable characters. All of them gay, one of them perhaps questioning, but by the same token, all different people,” said Tim Hedgepeth, director of the production.
Actor Jimmy Moore plays Michael, the host of the party for his friend Harold. The character taps into darker thoughts as the night progresses and is the catalyst for the drama that ensues.
“(Michael) starts as the best version of himself, and as the evening starts to snowball and kind of go horribly wrong, he descends into his own demons and into his own drunkness and starts to be kind of cruel to people,” Moore said.
Actor Joshua Cook plays Bernard, whose character gives us an insight into what it was like being a Black gay man in the 1960s.
“Bernard is one of those many characters who is able to delve into his past, and you’re able to learn a little more about his character and how it shapes the world he’s living in in that time,” Cook said.
Hedgepeth emphasized the significance of doing a play like this during Pride Month for characters and real people who never got to experience it.
“Our nine characters, they never benefitted from Pride, nor did the millions of gay men, lesbians and trans people at that time. They didn’t have a parade. They didn’t have a flag. They didn’t get to be married,” Hedgepeth said.
Moore hopes audience members can identify with the characters in “The Boys and the Band” and the show’s theme of self-acceptance.
“It’s really a relatable piece, I think, for anybody who has struggled with their sense of self, that can come and see themselves represented on stage,” Moore said.
“The Boys in the Band” will be at the Classic Theatre from June 6 to June 30. For more information on tickets and showtimes, click here.
