F*ucking Men
Provocative titles – especially those in which titles one must insert an asterisk lest one offend the easily offendable – can certainly help sell tickets. And in the most difficult marketplace available – live-action non-musicals –just about any way to bring in the paying public must be considered okay.
FUCKING MEN (see? that wasn’t so hard, now, was it?), by Joe DiPietro, currently at the gay/lesbian theatre, Celebration, is a large step above most “frontal-male nude comedies”. (Although it does seem as though marketing always trumps content.) Based on the theatrical role-model of Arthur Schnitzler’s “LaRonde/Reigen,” which examined sexual morality and class ideology in early 20th Century Europe, between pairs of characters who each play in two consecutive or finishing scenes. The current version, from 2008, is the latest of four different gay-themed takes on the then-scandalous play.
DiPietro’s success lies in co-opting the framework and making it utterly contemporary. Ten scenes, utilizing ten actors, examine what sexual-orientation is, the strain it puts on monogamous relationships, and how HIV has added its indelible print on behavior. Beginning with a male prostitute who works the off-base soldiers of a local army base, and the violence-prone virgin he fellates, to the end when the play rounds itself off by having said hustler hook-up with an older, self-hating TV-talk-show cad., fulfills the “round dance” needs of the form.
The variations include nudity, most of it fully committed-to by the actors, amid some sensitive performances. Perhaps as an example of the maturity in GLBT Theatre, there are no weak performances here, with actors – who may or may not be gay or bi-sexual themselves –turning in credible performances.
Director Calvin Remsberg makes the most of his quality cast (on Tom Buderwitz’ fine set-design utilizing a moveable series of screens and desks, under Jeremy Pivnick’s outstanding lighting design). And he moves the play quickly in its almost two-hour duration
Standouts amongst the actors include Brian Dare as the escort, Sam Galuszka as a married guy cheating on his lover, Parnell Damone as a black film star who constantly worries about exposure, and Michael Rachlis as a college-aged student.
Clearly (back to the title), language is key to the communications between these duos and the cast makes the most of what they’re given. Do not be deterred by a fear of base-language and body-parts, as we have all used them to one degree or another, some better than others, over our collective lifetimes.
At the Celebration Theatre through February 14th, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. 323.957.1884 for ticket information.