Review: STRAIGHT WHITE MEN at Stages Repertory Theatre

With a title like STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, you would think you were settling in for a night of cutting edge theatre. Add to these expectations a set of director notes from Leslie Swackhamer which offer provocative tidbits about what you are about to see, and also blaring rap music from black female artists pre-show. There is a gender neutral stagehand named Stoo Gogo sporting purple hair who welcomes you to sit back and cautions the actors might attack if you take pictures. The playwright Young Jean Lee has been the darling of the NYC avant garde theatre scene, and this is her first work produced in Houston. I was really excited to see what this play delivered, and all set to see what all the fuss was about.

The script is a bit of mess, and never rings authentic to its subjects or their male voices. The author claims she structured the piece with input from actors and focus groups around what they wanted to see STRAIGHT WHITE MEN do. Apparently that means singing goofy musical numbers, playing video games, acting like twelve year olds, crying for no significant reason, and worrying about being a failure even with all their privileges. I was expecting harsh satire along the lines of Neil LaBute, but instead got a goofy portrait of four men who rang false. I didn't believe anything that fell out of their mouths.

The central plot revolves around a widowed father and his three sons as they prepare for Christmas. James Belcher plays the patriarch, and he delivers a layered performance that makes his character have more depth than the script ever calls for. The same can be said of Jason Duga and Adam Matranga who represent two successful sons that are home for the holidays. Adam Noble gets to portray Matt who is currently living with dad, and having to temp at a charity organization just to keep himself financially afloat. Matt has a nervous breakdown over takeout Chinese on Christmas Eve, and the rest of the evening is spent trying to figure out just what his problem is.

The cast is talented, the set is great, but the script never serves them well. These four men say things that sound like statements straight from a community college diversity class, and then openly make fun of other races and gays. And when they are not delivering sound bites from a men's empowerment group they are simply being terribly silly and juvenile. It grows tiresome over an hour and a half without intermission, and oddly the audience just wishes these STRAIGHT WHITE MEN would just sit down and shut up. Oddly enough, the emotional climax consists of just that. When the silent moment happens, you realize these actors are better than the material they just delivered. A brave cast, a spot on director, and amazing technical direction just can't make STRAIGHT WHITE MEN appealing.

STRAIGHT WHITE MEN runs through March 6th at Stages Repertory Theatre. Tickets can be acquired through their website at www.stagestheatre.com or by calling (713) 527-0123.

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