The Boys in the Band (2018 Revised Version)

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Boys in the Band (2018 Revised Version)

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  9m

Mart Crowley

In 2018, The Boys in the Band made its Broadway debut at the Booth Theatre in an unprecedented production featuring a cast of entirely out-and-proud gay actors.
“Its reappearance now is a triumph of liberation.” – Jesse Green, The New York Times

This is the 2018 revised version, used for the play's Broadway premiere. The original version of The Boys in the Band is also available for licensing.

Image: 2018 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

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The Boys in the Band (2018 Revised Version)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    9m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior
Also Available
The Boys in the Band (Original Version)

Details

Summary
In his Upper East Side apartment, Michael is throwing a birthday party for Harold, a self-avowed "thirty-two-year-old, pockmarked, Jew fairy," complete with surprise gift: "Cowboy," a street hustler. As the evening wears on – fueled by drugs and alcohol – bitter, unresolved resentments among the guests come to light when a game of "Truth" goes terribly wrong.

This groundbreaking play premiered Off-Broadway in 1968 and ran for 1,001 performances. It was subsequently made into a feature film with the original cast, directed by Academy Award-winner William Friedkin. In 2018, The Boys in the Band made its Broadway debut at the Booth Theatre in an unprecedented production featuring a cast of entirely out-and-proud gay actors. This new edition contains both the original two-act script and the one-act Broadway version, as well as an introduction by celebrated playwright Tony Kushner.

History

The Boys In the Band was first presented at Theatre Four in New York City on April 14, 1968. It was directed by Robert Moore.

Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period 1960s
  • Setting Michael's apartment on the East Side in New York City. 1968.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes
    • Smoking

Media

“Revelatory and dazzlingly entertaining... the excoriating wit is still there.” – New York Post

“A drama that marked a turning point in the American theater.” – Washington Post

“A play of real substance, one that deserves to be performed not occasionally but regularly.” – Wall Street Journal

“One of the few plays that honestly helped spark a social revolution.” – Associated Press

“Terrifically thoughtful... The Boys in the Band emerges remarkably universal.” – NY1

“Deliriously delicious.” – Gay City News

“Humor is still on key in this poignant, sparkling revival of a landmark gay play... The star of the evening is the play itself: solidly built, still moving and enormously entertaining.” – New York Daily News

“This is a play that takes the homosexual way of life totally for granted and uses this as a valid basis for human experience... the power of the play is the way in which it remorselessly peels away the pretensions of its characters.” – New York Times

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Musical Theatre and the LGBTQ+ Audience: An Interview with Patrick Pacheco
by Jim Colleran
June 20, 2019

Photos

  • The Boys in the Band (2018 Revised Version)

    Image: 2018 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

  • The Boys in the Band (2018 Revised Version)

    Image: 2018 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

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Authors

Mart Crowley

Mart Crowley

Mart Crowley (1935-2020) was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi and educated at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. After graduating from the drama department, he went to New York to pursue a career in the theatre and landed jobs as production assistant to the d ...

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