The pioneering gay drama, The Boys In The Band, is now a Netflix film which premiered on September 30. It featured some of today’s biggest queer stars whose prominent works mostly came from theater and Broadway. That being said, is The Boys In The Band be based on a play too?
The Boys In The Band’s story revolves around a group of gays friends coming together to celebrate a friend’s birthday. As the night of the celebration unfolds, their individual and interpersonal problems bubble to the surface. Michael (Jim Parsons) then suggests a drunken game to force guests to call the one person they’ve ever truly loved. Tensions rose when their hidden pasts and unspoken feelings eventually were exposed and an unexpected visitor crashed at the party.
What is The Boys In The Band about?
The screen adaptation takes inspiration from Matt Crowley’s 1968 groundbreaking play of the same title. In 1970, a subsequent movie spinoff was created by director William Friedkin. It starred the original ensemble cast of the play.
In 2018, The Boys in the Band returned to Broadway to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
The cast is led by Jim Parsons, who plays Michael, the host of the party. He is joined by Zachary Quinto, who will be playing the birthday boy’s character, Harold. The cast also includes Matt Bomer (Donald), Andrew Rannells (Larry), Tuc Watkins (Hank), Michael Benjamin Washington (Bernard) and Robin de Jesús (Emory). Charlie Carver also joins the cast as a sex worker who is meant to be Harold’s “gift” for the night, and Brian Hutchison (Alan) as the surprise guest.
Is The Boys In The Band based on a play?
Yes, it is. Despite its creation 52 years after the original piece was born, it continued to pay homage to Crowley’s classic work. The film is dedicated to the author who died last March and wisely stays in the timeframe in which it was written. Ryan Murphy, the show’s producer, brings back the 2018 Broadway cast to reprise their roles for the movie. Also joining the production is their 2018 revival director, Joe Mantello. The production delightfully consists of openly gay actors and crew.
As of August 2018, the revival of the play had been performed 84 times, running from April 30, 2018 for the first preview until it’s closing date of August 11, 2018. The all-star show raked in an impressive $14,943,569 during it’s lauded run.
In a statement published by Entertainment Weekly, producer Murphy calls The Boys in the Band “groundbreaking in its exploration of how gay men treated each other and how they were made to feel about themselves.” Murphy further goes saying, “while some attitudes have thankfully shifted, it’s important to be reminded of what we have overcome and how much further we still have to go.”
Where can I watch The Boys In The Band?
The Boys In The Band is currently available for streaming on Netflix. It premiered on September 30 on the platform. Watch its official trailer below.