A humorous—and at times poignant—play at Manbites Dog Theater: The Homosexuals

by

~Thursday~ Tonight I attended the preview performance of Manbites Dog Theater‘s current production, The Homosexuals.

Manbites Dog Theater ad pic for The Homosexuals

Synopsis: When Evan, a young gay man, first arrives in the city, he encounters a group of friends who welcome him into their family and change his life in ways he could never have imagined. A sexy and funny tale for anyone who has ever fallen in love with a friend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this play, which spans a ten-year period, from—2000 to 2010—with its story being presented in a reverse chronological order, thus:

THE HOMOSEXUALS

ACT I

2010: Peter
2008: British Mark
2006: Michael

~Intermission~

ACT II

2004: Tam
2002: Mark
2000: Collins


The play runs about two hours, including that intermission.

There were so many themes touched on in this play, which quite frankly, is the hallmark of all plays staged by Manbites Dog Theater company. Theirs are plays that make you think. And think again. And think some more—days afterward.

Here are some of the themes explored that stood out for me, none of which contain any spoilers:

  1. Friendships
    • Friendship in general (“Friends are people who are there“)
    • Friendship among gay men in general
    • Friendship between gay men who are both friends and having sex with each other
    • Friendship between gay men who are exes
    • Friendship between straight people and their exes
    • Friendship between gay men and straight people
  2. Being out
  3. Being good at whatever—and whoever—you are
  4. Monogamy in relationships (or not)
  5. Keeping secrets (and not)
  6. Marrying for “benefits” (both literally and figuratively)
  7. The “rules of engagement” between gay men and their “fag hags“
  8. Penis size, seeing penises, and the power of the penis over us. (Note: No actual penises were hurt, or are seen, in the production of this play. But go see it anyway.)
  9. Weight and body image
  10. Internalized homophobia
  11. Being rejected by family
  12. AIDS

I’m happy to say that the last two themes are only, really, lightly touched on, which to be honest, was a relief. It’s not that those two things aren’t important, haven’t had a huge impact on a lot of gay people’s lives, or aren’t still happening, it’s just that they’ve been done—a lot—in both plays and film.

The play opens tomorrow night, Friday, May 3, at 8:15, and runs through Saturday, May 18. It’d make a great “date night.” Heck, take your ex.

For the complete performance schedule, a short video ad for the show, the actors performing in it, and for information on how to purchase tickets, visit Manbites Dog Theater: The Homosexuals.

Leave a Comment