Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, and Matt Bomer star in a limited Broadway engagement of The Boys in the Band, directed by two-time Tony winner Joe Mantello. Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking 1968 play, now in previews at the Booth Theatre, officially opens May 31 and is scheduled to close August 12, 2018. The production, from Ryan Murphy and veteran Broadway producer David Stone, marks the comedic drama's Broadway premiere.
Each of the four is an alum of Murphy's TV ventures. Parsons (The Normal Heart), Quinto (American Horror Story), Rannells (The New Normal), and Bomer (The Normal Heart, AHS) will take on the roles of Michael, Harold, Larry, and Donald, respectively, on stage.
The cast will also include Charlie Carver as the Cowboy, Tony nominee Robin De Jesús as Emory, Brian Hutchison as Alan, Michael Benjamin Washington as Bernard, and Tuc Watkins as Hank.
In The Boys in the Band, a group of gay men gather in a New York City apartment for a friend’s birthday party. As the evening continues, the cracks beneath their friendships begin to show, exposing the self-inflicted heartache that threatens their solidarity.
Originally scheduled to run for five performances at a small Off-Broadway venue, the play became an overnight sensation, and—after transferring to a bigger theatre—ran for over 1,000 performances. The show went on to have an acclaimed run in London and was adapted into a film by William Friedkin in 1970.
“The significance of The Boys in the Band cannot be underestimated. In 1968, Mart Crowley made theatrical history by giving voice to gay men onstage, in this uncompromising, blisteringly honest, and wickedly funny play,” says Murphy. “The play was groundbreaking in its exploration of how gay men treated each other and how they were made to feel about themselves. And while some attitudes have thankfully shifted, it’s important to be reminded of what we have overcome and how much further we still have to go.”
“Everything has changed. And nothing has changed,” adds Stone.
Parsons, known to most across America for his Emmy-winning performance as Sheldon Cooper on CBS' The Big Bang Theory, has previously appeared on Broadway in An Act of God, Harvey, and The Normal Heart. Quinto returns to the New York stage following Broadway's 2013 revival of The Glass Menagerie and Off-Broadway's Angels in America and Smokefall. Rannells earned Tony nominations for his performances in The Book of Mormon and, most recently, Falsettos. The Boys in the Band will mark Bomer's Broadway debut.
Ticketing information and complete design team will be announced in the coming weeks.
