Cambridge is a remarkably tolerant place, but that does not make the premise of this play redundant.  A lot has changed since the ‘60s, but homosexuality is still considered ‘weird’ by many inside and outside the bubble, and a sense of abnormality in society’s eyes is what drives and reveals the emotional wreckage of the play’s (at least) eight gay characters.  But The Boys in the Band is not just a ‘gay’ play.  It has a lot to say about people: the ‘regret’ of the morning after the night before, when you probably wanted to do it all really; and being true to yourself about who you are.  It also has a lot to say about relationships, whether they should or can be closed or open – honestly or covertly.  These human, not just gay, questions make the play relevant and give it a universal resonance alongside its more specific one.

The script is chirpy, lively and natural.  The first half sets up the turmoil of the second but is still highly entertaining.  In Act II the script starts to bait, drawing the audience in quickly to a character’s situation until a quick quip releases the tension.  Guy Woolf has done a brilliant job on his directorial debut at marshalling his actors and production team: the staging is natural, the set cleverly constructed, and the feel brought out by good costuming.

Through luck or judgement or both, the casting is exceptional – every actor fits every character perfectly.  Jack Mosedale is superb as Michael, convincing and engaging at every point in his character’s troubled evening.  When Harold arrives for the second act, Saul Boyer is consistently flamboyant with the perfect simmering level of sinister to make the most of his clash with Michael.  The whole cast was excellent when called upon, with every character exuding a sense of history and personality despite the audience only having a one-night snapshot.  It is worth singling out Jack Hudson, who did very well to show such depth of feeling through Hank’s manly exterior.  Perhaps Mark Wartenberg gave an overly psychopathic, rather than emotionally broken, Alan, but his presence certainly kept things edgy.

This play deserves to be an ADC mainshow: it is well-chosen, well-directed and well-acted.  Whether you are gay, wished you weren’t, thought you might be, or whether you are straight, this play will speak to you and will speak very well.