Glorious storytelling of the worst birthday party ever
Edinburgh University’s Theatre Company is currently in a rich vein of form, with the latest being a terrific adaptation of Mart Crowley’s 1968 play “The Boys In The Band”, co-directed by Elle Catherine Willcocks and Aaron de Verés. The first act opens with Michael (played by James Cumming), fastidiously arranging his New York apartment for his friend Harold’s birthday party. The 1960s era is set with crackly gramophone recordings of movie soundtracks, and one by one, we’re introduced to our party-goers, with tantalising hints as to their interrelated histories and relationships – Donald (Ewan Little) observer of the group; Emory (Noah Sarvesvaran) with an unusual taste in birthday gifts, Bernard (Kikelomo Hassan), and a couple comprising teacher Hank (Dylan Kaeuper) and artist Larry (Issac Williams). Whilst they await their guest of honour, they’re unexpectedly joined by Michael’s old (and notably straight) college roommate from Georgetown, the tuxedo-clad Alan (Rufus Goodman). Emory’s ‘birthday present’ to Howard in the form of Cowboy (Ewan Guthrie) also arrives, before the guest of honour himself appears – Harold (Oscar Bryan).
The script is lightning fast, and through the first act, the ripostes and repartee flows easily between the cast, with insults and put-downs that come with the familiarity of friendship groups. However, the strength of the performances really lies in the characterisation that the actors bring to the roles, a difficult task when there are so many characters on stage at once.
As the play progresses and moves into the second act, and as tensions mount and flare, the change in atmosphere brings a razor-sharp tension to the group. Whilst the original screenplay was written in 1968, there are still many elements that feel fresh and still relevant to our society today. The production has not shied away from instances of homophobic and racially offensive language, which are used sparingly, but dramatic effect, drawing intakes of breath from the rapt audience. Set solely within the confines of Michael’s apartment, the staging has been thoughtfully constructed to provide insights into what happens up and downstairs. Care has also been given with choreographing the one-sided telephone conversations, which were eminently believable. The accent work was also fantastic – I particularly enjoyed the low growl of Alan.
Given the range of cast members, stage time was always going to be at a premium, but if the first act didn’t provide justice to the characters of Emory and Bernard, we were richly rewarded in the second act with nuanced and emotive monologues about lost loves from Noah Sarvesvaran and Kikelomo Hassan. The doe-eyed sweetness of Ewan Guthrie’s Cowboy charmed the audience, and was well contrasted with the wry observations from Ewan Little’s Donald. The fractious but loving relationship between Hank and Larry was beautifully observed, with a natural chemistry between Dylan Kaeuper and Issac Williams. Harold was a deliciously spiky and discerning portrayal by and Rufus Goodman’s (reportedly) straight-laced Alan provided natural foil to the others.
Even with such a strong cast, James Cumming’s Michael was an extraordinarily magnetic performance – descending through layers of light-hearted bantering, into increasingly barbed attacks and bullying as he spirals out of control, into an abhorrent version of the character we first met. This was an absolute triumph to keep the audience with him, right through to his contorted form screaming in anguish on the floor. Heartbreaking, awful and utterly wonderful.
The Bedlam Theatre is a notoriously cold venue, so whilst the provision of blankets from the café is much appreciated, it’s recommended to wrap up warm. Happily, the strength of the performances of stage means the chill doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the show, as confirmed by the well-deserved standing ovation.