The new theater season has begun! The Bent is kicking off its third season, again at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, by presenting ahem, excuse me, F**king Men.
Well, who hasn’t thought that at one time or another in life?
This work is written by Joe DiPietro and is adapted from La Ronde by Arthur Schnitzler. Many years ago, I was cast in the original straight version of the play, back in Toronto. So I kind of knew the show, even though this new gay version is obviously different. (Moment of truth: Alas, I dropped out of the cast, the only time I have ever done that, because of the director. That’s a story for another time.)
This version is beautifully written, with lots of laughs for many reasons—some cerebral, some action-oriented, some ironic. Yet a serious theme emerges through the struggles of the various characters, and we will deal with that later.
Kudos to the play’s director, Steve Rosenbaum, who has masterminded this complex production. (He is also the artistic director of The Bent.) He has flanked both sides of the stage with huge screens that are used to broadcast short monologues by the characters and list the upcoming scene’s players. On the stage, the center is left open with two men—wearing shorts and vests and peaked caps—silently moving around and handing actors objects such as cell phones or laptop computers. These parts are played by Kai Brothers and Scott Hill, with excellent timing.
The actors each play several parts, so it is possible to become confused, but the idea is to follow each character’s private life through their relationships and then through interactions with others. They show us how differently a person will behave in situations with other people.
Of course, the play is all about sex. It is not for the squeamish or the repressed, if you hadn’t already figured that out from the title. There is only one scene with frontal nudity, but there is plenty of skin in, come to think of it, every scene before that, so it isn’t shocking when it finally happens.
The actors, alphabetically listed, begin with Ronny Borrelli, who plays John, Kyle and Ryan. Alex Price, with a fine sense of comedy, plays Marco and Sammy. Terry Ray (the managing director of The Bent) is Leo and Donald, and Jason Reale (also the set designer) plays Steve, Jack and Brandon. They have worked diligently to find the special differences in their characters, and it is fascinating to watch them all.
The play is too complex to analyze every character here, but the actors have done some hard work in bringing the audience their interpretations of each role. They are, of course, helped by some truly fabulous lines like, “Yes! And by yes, I mean no!”
As for those aforementioned themes, there are several. One that emerges is: Are we really meant to have sex with only one other person for our whole lives? There’s obviously no clear and final answer to that, but it is something that almost every character in the play wonders about, as none are in a truly monogamous relationship. Another concept deals with lying about one’s HIV status and the use of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis, a drug sexually active people can take to avoid getting HIV). And “The Code” is mentioned several times, which deals with … well, The Code, of silence, of course. Yes, just like the Mafia.
Among the recurring elements is the problem of truly connecting with another person in the gay world. The play shows people trying to connect with, for example, an Army soldier about to be sent overseas who has never yet indulged in a gay relationship, or two strangers meeting in a sauna.
One of the most controversial topics deals with coming out. Whether or not to reveal one’s sexuality to the public is dealt with by two of the characters in a movie-star scenario where a man is about to reveal himself to his fans despite being continually cast as a romantic straight lover—but he is cautioned by his writer/podcaster friend about the possible backlash. He is warned about becoming a “celebrity sodomite.” Yikes.
Applause goes to the stage manager, Jason Mannino; the lighting designer, Mariah Pryor; and the sound designer, Damian Jesus Mercado. The costume design was handled by Cherlyn Lanning, and the projections were managed by Nathan Cox. A special mention goes out to Kudra Wagner, the arts administrator and production manager.
F***ing Men shows that the times have changed … but not enough. The play mentions the #MeToo movement, with which so many can identify. It affects the gay community, too, despite the movement having been introduced by the straight world. What is the answer? We just keep changing and growing, I guess, until all the work is done … as if that would ever happen, or could ever happen.
At any rate, this thought-provoking show is playing through Oct. 27, and the audience—a nearly packed house—at the performance I saw enjoyed it. So will you.
The Bent’s production of F***ing Men will be performed at 7 p.m., Thursday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, through Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $40. For tickets or more information, visit thebent.org.
Another wonderfully written review by VJ. It’s fortunate that the Palm Springs Area has a venue to trot out its various gay/lesbian artists. Times have, indeed, changed. What induced “shock and awe” not so long ago is now viewed as topical and mild. VJ conveys the fundamental elements of the play, allowing the reader to get an almost palpable impression of the writer’s intentions.