It is inevitable that these three students eventually meet up, especially since Diwata had seen Solomon fooling around with the drama teacher in the men's room. She basically blackmails the two boys into promoting her as an actress in the new Speech and Debate format where the content isn’t controlled. They put together a hilarious presentation with Diwata as Mary Warren and Howie as a gay Abe Lincoln. At the end, they join together in a "gay dance" choreographed by Howie.
They each have their own motives: Howie to let his classmates know he is gay, Solomon to come out for the first time, and Diwata to show what a good actress (in her mind) she is. The results are funny, touching, and a satiric look at the hypocrisy of the adult world.
The acting is fine, but Ms. Whitman tends to let it all hang out without much control, leading me to wonder why the two guys would be willing to work with her. She comes off as a bit of a nut case. The character of Howie has been played more effeminately, and Mr. Welsh is not that. The effeminate choice might have given an interesting dimension to the piece. Mr. Himelstein tends to be a bit dour, but his character is angry and closeted, presenting the challenge of how to be that and still be lively.
Daniel Henning, the Artistic Director of The Blank, directs with a sure hand. Despite my reservations, this is a play worth seeing. It runs at the The Blank until Oct 26 (though there may be extensions).
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