Making the Boys

Mart Crowley's play The Boys in the Band opened off-Broadway on a drizzly day in 1968 with little fanfare in front of a far-from-packed house; the following night Crowley showed up to find a line stretching from the ticket window clear across town. A shift in the national consciousness had taken place: people were ready to see a production about the lives of gay men who weren't apologizing for who they were. Director Crayton Robey interviews Crowley, Edward Albee, Dominick Dunne, and several others connected with the stage version and later film adaptation. Ironically, the movie's release after the Stonewall riots and launching of the gay rights movement turned out to be the worst possible timing; performances that were initially groundbreaking soon struck many as stereotypical and tacky. Both the stage mounting and moviemaking angles of the story told here are interesting, but what really stands out is a reminder of the speed in which history can suddenly pivot. DVD extras include the featurettes “Dominick Dunne's Hollywood” and “Relationship Time with Dan Savage.” Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (H. Seggel)