Cider Mill Stage is presenting The Boys in the Band, the groundbreaking drama by Mart Crowley that premiered in 1968, a year before the Stonewall uprising.
The play centers on a group of friends gathered for a birthday party that spirals into an emotional reckoning. Though written nearly six decades ago, cast members say its themes remain strikingly current.
“I think it’s still relevant today,” said Rob Egan, who plays Michael. “It’s about real people and the struggles that they face. Even though we’re almost 60 years later, some of the inner turmoil they’re dealing with is still stuff that people today are dealing with. We’re still struggling to find our own acceptance and our value and our worth.”
Egan describes Michael as deeply human and deeply flawed. “There’s a line where Donald says to Michael, ‘You know what you are? You’re a real person.’ I think that sums it up. He does some bad things, but at the end of the day, he’s just struggling to find acceptance within himself and love with the people around him.”
Stephen Kane, who portrays Donald, calls his character “the quiet spine of the play.”
“If Michael is the storm, Donald is the barometer,” Kane said. “He’s the most emotionally evolved person in the room, but he’s also very aware of how fragile other people are. He’s investigating growth through therapy, which in 1968 was a very radical thing. Mental health was barely discussed. He may not be the loudest voice, but he’s often the clearest.”
Kane said the play’s structure — nine men in one apartment over the course of a single evening — intensifies its emotional impact.
“It starts with martinis and fun and laughter,” he said. “But it turns into a reckoning with everyone’s sense of self and identity. It’s about friendship under pressure, insecurity, the masks we wear, and the fear of being fully seen.”
Both actors pointed to one line near the end of the play as its emotional core.
“If we could just learn not to hate ourselves so much,” Egan quoted. “That’s what it really boils down to — finding acceptance in ourselves and in the broader world.”
Kane agreed. “That line was monumental for me. It made me realize why this story still matters. In such a polarizing time, if we could just learn not to hate ourselves so very much — that’s powerful.”
The cast of nine includes Chris VanDerwerker as Emory, Jason Walsh as Bernard, Isaac Weber as Larry, Shane Smith as Hank, Connor Gates as Alan, Mark Durkee as Harold, and Devin Mori as the Cowboy. The Director is Nathan Butler.
Performances of The Boys in the Band are February 27 and 28, March 1, and March 6, 7, and 8. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m. Performances take place at Cider Mill Stage, 2 South Nanticoke Avenue in Endicott. For more information, visit https://cidermillstage.com