I caught one of the final previews of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s “The Pride” at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Greenwich Village over the weekend.
The official press opening is tomorrow night — you can expect to read some very strong reviews on Wednesday. I have a hunch this limited run under the auspices of MCC Theater will sell out quickly (and that someone will go to work on a Broadway transfer ala the MCC staging of “reasons to be pretty” last year).
Campbell’s play is a provocative look at gay life in England today and 50 years ago, with excellent performances by Ben Whishaw (above right, the rising film star who is making his U.S. stage debut), Hugh Dancy (above left), Andrea Riseborough and Adam James.
Instead of the usual preaching-to-the-converted, gay-is-good drama, “The Pride” raises some troubling questions about the way that the sexual freedom of gay men in the new century could be almost as damaging as the severe restrictions of the bad-old-days when gay relationships were illegal.
Campbell tells two parallel stories that are staged with remarkable fluidity by Joe Mantello. In the 1950s era scenes, Oliver (Whishaw) is a children’s book author struggling to be open about his sexuality and to find a life partner, while the married Philip (Dancy) has the occasional, guilt-ridden sexual encounter with a man.
In the present day moments, Oliver is a free-wheeling gay journalist who indulges in anonymous sex wherever he can find it while his romantic partner Philip demands monogamy.
The terrific Andrea Riseborough plays Sylvia — Philip’s wife in the ’50s scenes and Oliver’s open-minded best friend in the 21st century moments.
Campbell isn’t retrograde, but he questions the notion of anonymous gay sex as a form of sport or entertainment in the Internet age where opportunities for hook-ups are almost limitless. But then again, the writer asks, aren’t all men hard-wired to drift in the direction of sex outside of their romantic relationships from time to time?
“The Pride” examines the whole notion of what “gay” means — is it about the kind of sex a man wants, or is it about long-term emotional attachments between men?
Campbell doesn’t try to answer the tough questions he raises, but “The Pride” is a very gripping piece of drama with star performances that theatergoers will be talking about for many seasons to come.
