By James V. Ruocco
In "Straight White Men," a father invites his three, grown-up sons to spend the Christmas holidays together at their lived-in, welcoming family home to hang out, celebrate, clear their head, act silly, enjoy a home cooked meal, exchange presents, do mock interviews, and talk.
Talk - as in, don't hold back...say what's on their mind...don't leave anything to chance...and just be yourself.
As this is theatre - think Albee, think Miller, this O'Neill - talk comes with a price.
Confrontation, achievement, defiance and commitment dominate every scene. As does revelatory truths, passions and preferences, all of which signal important chat and verbiage that stings, resonates and hits hard. If it didn't, there'd actually be no point to the "SWM" experience or narrative.
That said, "Straight White Men," last performed on Broadway back in 2018 with Armie Hammer, Josh Charles, Paul Schneider and Stephen Payne headlining, is a fitting, timely character piece for presentation on the Westport Country Playhouse stage.
Its success - in this go round at Westport - is attributed largely to director Mark Lamos and his fiercely energetic, committed principal cast - Denver Milord, Nick Westrate, Bill Army and Richard Kline.
But first, let's backtrack.
Prior to the start of the show, loud disco music booms, ear plugs are passed out and theatergoers are welcomed by two flamboyantly dressed emcee figures (Akiko Akita, Ashton Muniz) who take center stage as "Person in Charge," to entice the audience, greet them and dish about the fact that they are definitely "not the straight white men" of the play's title, but rather gay performers of color and gender-bending identities (Akita is non binary and Japanese; Muniz is gay and African-American) who have been assigned the task of playful puppeteers who are asked to move and position the actors into place and necessitate additional staging maneuvers throughout "SWM's" dictated scene changes.
It's a lofty conceit and one that, as overseen by Lamos, adds jest and quirkiness to the proceedings.
"Straight White Men" is the work of Young Jean Lee, hailed by The New York Times as "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation." With works that include "We're Gonna Die," "The Shipment," "Lear" and "Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven," she taps the psyche with political and societal explorations and topics that are significant and contemporary and translated with definitive engagement. Here, she explores straight white maleness using characters, theatrical frames, tongue-and-cheek and engaging storytelling to articulate her thoughts, her theories and her language.
A knife in reality, so to speak, is what she is after and this farce of men and boys trying to erase white privilege through board games, brotherly ribbing, Chinese take away, holiday gift giving and soul- searching pours it on heavily for laugher's sake while underneath, its angst and truth-telling is laid bare.
With the groundwork laid, Lee's talky identity study - mostly played for laughs - views 21st century white male privilege and psychology with palpable anticipation and familial pontification. Pieced together with naturalism, irreverence and range, the talk of "SWM" is inspired, grounded and nourished with words and dialogue that explain the troubled plight of her four main characters, their differences, their divide, their coolness and their validation. She digs right in. She knows exactly what she wants, and she runs with it.
Taking his cue from Lee, director Mark Lamos, does exactly the same.
With "Straight White Men," he crafts a fast-and-fluid 90-minute satire (there is no interval) of witty exchanges, man-to-man horsing around, cheeky schematics and conversational swordplay that acknowledges and supports Lee's significant, all-knowing, colorful account. But this isn't just check-the-boxes and let's get things going direction. It's all impeccably timed and orchestrated with plenty of smart, seamless stage blocking and directorial choices that add color, flavor and excitement to the presentation. Everything from characters trimming the Christmas tree and throwing water in each other's faces has a defined purpose as does moments when they hump each other's faces, admire their perfectly honed bodies, dive bomb sofas on engage in fists fights when the moment strikes them.
One of the funniest bits involves the brother's white supremist rewriting of the lyrics for the title song of "Oklahoma!" which they perform, under Lamos' tutelage, with over-the-top craziness and off-the-bar stool amplification. Making hard-hitting allusions to the KKK, they chime in unison - " 'Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain, where we sure look sweet in white bed sheets, with our pointing masks upon our heads." It's all in jest, so there's no need for riot.
Much later, there's a showstopping dance number, set to a pulsating disco beat of yesteryear where the trio of brother's behave with wild abandon - think "Dancing With the Stars" at a East Village gay bar - in a rousing, rhythmic free-for-all, brilliantly choreographed by Alison Solomon.
"Straight White Men" stars Nick Westrate as Drew, Denver Milord as Matt, Richard Kline as Ed, Bill Army as Jake and Akiko Akita and Ashton Muniz as the Person's in Charge. As this is a full-on character ensemble piece, the entire cast - quite believable as members of the same family - bands together to let it out of the box with encouraged, natural and navigated performances that complement Lee's quirky writing style and Lamos' polished, free-flowing direction. Everyone has their moment to shine individually or as a group. Their roles, of course, are fluid and decidedly different but in between the wags, the smirks, the roars and the preening, you get real, honest and raw talent that gives "SWM" its swagger, its buzz, its cleft and its absolutely comforting adrenaline.
A comical essay about men, identity, privilege, dysfunction, family and male bonding, "Straight White Men" is a charming, breezy, male-driven family romp, brimming with wit, sarcasm and command. Performed with spotlit vibrancy and springy gait by its talented, versatile cast, it prompts laughs in all the right places, offering conversation and bite, all of which are winningly explored under the directorial tutelage of Mark Lamos.
It's a full-on case study all audiences - straight, gay, transgender, non binary or whatever - are invited to observe with a catchy title and lots of playful banter that's comforting, delightful and intuitive.
So what is a straight white male?
Playwright Young Jean Lee's creative fodder has plenty of answers You either buy them; or you don't) - in between the laughs, the silliness and the volley of her quirky, informative character study.
Photos of "Straight White Men" by Carol Rosegg
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