There are only three actors of real merit in Christian Couture’s The Men at The Studio@620, and when the show in question boasts 10 performers, that’s a real problem. The other problem is that the plot of The Men isn’t about much besides a typically unstable love triangle, and the novelty of seeing gay men at all three points isn’t enough to make the play significant.
Still, the question of which two lovers will prevail creates some suspense, and there’s a good-heartedness to playwright Couture’s intentions that carries the play along even at its least inspired moments. There’s also a modicum of nudity and a lot of form-fitting underwear, so theatergoers in search of an “R” rating will be satisfied.
Those in search of something more — an epiphany, a new perspective, a dizzying insight into gay life — won’t find much to think about. In a theater world that includes Angels in America, Love! Valour! Compassion! and even Jeffrey, The Men just offers too little, too late.
The play, which is based on Clare Booth Luce’s The Women, involves a group of friends trying to navigate married life when infidelity is rampant and gossip is everywhere. The key relationship at the start is between Marty, a sincere and deeply faithful partner, and Aiden, his doctor husband, who’s also been secretly seeing a certain Todd.
