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Some Men Reviews
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A Wonderful Play By Terrance Mcnally Review by: Beth M, Nov 22, 2007 |
“The Sweetness and the Sorrow ……..” Terrance Mcnally's “SOME MEN”
It is 2007. Men dressed in various attire, from the formal to the extremely casual are in an elegant ballroom, with its magnificent chandeliers---off stage we hear the voices of an officiate and two men who share their vows and are pronounced as spouses. This and another scene of a gay wedding in precisely the same year and same setting, frame ... read more this beautifully written and extremely well acted play.
Between the two weddings are quite a number of vignettes, which are to a large extent non linear, non chronological. There is one character, Bernie, and his life circumstances, which provide the strongest degree of continuity within the play.
In this heartwarming and heartbreaking, deeply human, extraordinarily moving, extremely touching, intensely sexual, very heroic, and often very powerful play by Terrance McNally, we are shown a panorama, a kaleidoscope of events, some depicting historic events in the life and history of the gay community and others that that depict, in a deeply personal way, the happiness, struggles and the sorrow in the lives of these men. This play depicts relationships that transcend class, racial lines and ages, relationships just six weeks old and those that were hoped to last a lifetime.
The vignettes explore so many aspects of the gay experience, for example, life in the bathhouses with their ever searching, steamy sexuality; there is an extremely moving scene in which a married man with children, Bernie, who, while he loves in his family, feels extremely unfulfilled, and knows at his core that he is a gay man. Bernie has sought out a “hustler” who by day is an English major at Columbia. Bernie, extremely nervous and visibly uncomfortable, knows that he has no choice but to follow his calling; the hustler is cool and very self confident, and eventually insists that Bernie take off his wedding ring. Bernie’s acutely painful reaction, very visible in his facial expression, is one of deep sadness and, I imagine, profound guilt and conflict, is still etched in my mind.
One of my favorite scenes shows a group of men sitting and singing in a piano bar, talking sadly of the death of Judy Garland and their viewing of her, musing about this profound loss of an icon. The men, all aficionados of musical theater, are sharing their knowledge of show tunes, are totally unaware of what is happening outside their door: a demonstration that is raging with the sounds of police cars and of people yelling and the eerie flashing red light of fire engines. Archie, a transvestite, suddenly enters because he broke the heel of one of his shoes, and needs to find a place to rest.
The group collectively exhibits their disdain for this man, dressed as a lovely woman, who is taking a break from fighting for gay rights. One of the most powerful and touching moments for me occurs when Archie takes the floor and is given permission to sing. He sings, in an extremely heartfelt manner, one of the anthems of the gay community, Somewhere over the Rainbow. I watched the faces of each of the men in the room transform from the mocking looks to faces that seem to be transfixed, as though they have begun to get in touch with something deeper, perhaps even profound, and not describable in words, as they listen to the song described by Archie as a song dedicated to all of the boys and girls who feel that they should be somewhere else.
Another moving scene for me is that of the funeral of a young soldier, killed in war. The soldier’s father, in decorated military uniform, sits sad and alone. Shortly, another young solder enters. This encounter provides the dead soldier’s father the opportunity to meet, his son’s partner, also in the war, and who has traveled across the world to be at his partner’s funeral and to present the grieving father with the military flag given to bereaved families. While the father seems perhaps a bit resistant to f |
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Some Men" is a terrific night at the theater Review by: Tom B, May 6, 2007 |
"Some Men" was written by Terrence McNally, who also authored the current disaster, "Deuce." (See below) Now I know where all his passion and energy was going. Where "Deuce" was false from start to finish, "Some Men" has almost nothing but truth. There's not a whole lot of structure here, other than the fact that the show begins and ends at a same-sex wedding ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a few of the characters (played by eight actors) ... read more appear in multiple scenes.
The show felt almost like a collection of scenes from half a dozen great gay plays: one about the Stonewall pioneers, one about gay marriage, one about "don't ask, don't tell," another about AIDS, one about gay parenting, one about gay men finding God and still another about long-term relationships. There are probably a few more in there, but the great thing about it feeling like a collection of the best scenes from different plays is that you get a show full of great scenes.
"Some Men" is a terrific night at the theater, and not just for gay men. The two straight friends we went to the show with liked it even more than we did!
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Wonderfull Writing & Acting Review by: rskblueyes, Apr 17, 2007 |
| The play is very timely as the gay marriage controversy is being played out all across this country. What makes this play so special that the focuses on how gay relationships as well as gay life has evolved over the past 80's. Parts of the show are funny, and others very touching. It is a well written piece of theatre. The performances were wonderfull as each charactor plays several roles durring the play. David Greenspan stands out in 2 roles.... read more. This is a limited ryn, dont miss this show... |
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must see!
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Review by: mark, Apr 15, 2007 |
Absolutely FABULOUS!!! Terrance McNalley has nailed yet another perfect show. The actors in this show are not only well developed but deliver the lines with such believable intensity that they leave the audience hanging onto every word.
Although the show focuses on the gay movement over the past 80 years, it also focuses on the what it means to be truly in love with someone and the roller coaster of emotions that follow. Further, ... read more it focuses on human relationships and how we grow in the face of our past.
I would hope every (gay or straight) man sees this show (especially fathers and sons).
I hope that some men will learn some valuable lessons from these men.
I further hope that this production moves further uptown to Broadway - it will continue to be a success there. |
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My recommendation:
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Review by: goldenboy, Apr 7, 2007 |
I must say that I enjoyed this play better than Love Valour Compassion. It is amazingly well directed and executed; poignant and moving. Everything you can want in a good play.
Terrence McNally, in my opinion, really scores with this one giving us an 80 year retrospective of gays in American Society. The cast is first rate with not a bad performance among the bunch.
I absolutely loved every moment of the first act, while the second ... read more act could use some honing and pruning. But overall, the message was so clear.
I do think gay men will enjoy the play better than the average theatre goer. Two annoying older women behind me kept saying "this play is endless" while I was mesmerized every minute. Go see this play if you like gay theatre at its finest. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Insightful, entertaining show, would recommend it to my more liberal friends! Review by: theaterlover, Mar 17, 2007 |
| I loved this show! I am still thinking about it because it provided many points of view. It gave a historical perspective to the gay movement, used humor to entertain us, and conveyed a universal message about love,companionship, and commitment. The audience was mixed; gay straight, men, women and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Terence McNally wrote a memorable script- once again. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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