A major plague of Gay Focus Deficit Condition is sweeping the country, leaving its homosexual male victims not able to remain concentrated on any shopping pattern for more than a couple months. To raise resources for their afflicted friend’s rehab, 4 Broadway starlets are staging a queer cabaret of clichéd, campy ’mo-tunes in the basement of Orlando’s American Legion Publish #69.
The forged (Sean Philibin, John Gracey, Eduardo A. Rivera, Ethan Lolley) all boast big voices and each of the adult men gets numerous moments to glow, with choreographer Rivera’s Minimal Shop-esque solo and John Gracey’s enthusiastic ode to Viagra staying particular standouts. Even their harried “hostess with the mostest” Jane (Molly Schoolmeester) will get to melt away the home down with a tortured torch track.
Composer Kenneth Kacmar’s pastiche rating (as done by musical director David Foust) will ring a lot of bells with Broadway lovers, with riffs that remember classic tunes from Oklahoma, White Xmas and Gypsy, while Joe Miloscia’s dialogue and lyrics are loaded with winking PG-13 double entendres referencing large openings and juggling balls. From the intentionally chaotic curtain raiser to a pre-finale straight worry freakout, this exhibit has a Muppet Display-like environment of backstage anarchy that belies its polished generation values and peppy pacing (at least right up until audience participation bingo games carry the amusement to a screeching halt).
Luckily, even though the emphasis is generally on comedy, the tunes are not all performed strictly for laughs, thanks to a lovely really like duet among Luke & Tyler and a tender ballad about gay-bashing from Luke. Among the a lot of gay-baiting extravaganzas at this year’s Fringe, the proficient staff behind Boys Will Be Boys rises to the occasion with the support of their most significant throbbing male organs: their hearts.
Tickets and display data: Boys Will Be Boys
