Playwright: Tim Paul. At: Annoyance Theater, 4830 N. Broadway. Tickets: 773-561-4665; www.theannoyance.com; $10. Runs through: Aug. 28 ( Sundays only )
As a tall, chunky teenager, writer/performer Tim Paul tells us, "I convinced myself that I didn't want to be with other guysI wanted to look like other guys." A once-husky kid myself, I understand his remark. However, I didn't know I was gay, growing up just before Stonewall, and Paul did as a 1990's teen with access to Internet porn. Caught porn-surfing by his dad, Paul returned to his not-quite-open closet for 10 years.
Every gay man ( and some women, I suppose ) will relate to one or another of Paul's experiences in his autobiographical coming-out performance piece. Much of it covers universal feelings and milestones, and it's engagingly told. Paul is an affable performer who doesn't try a lot of tricks and doesn't put on a big show, but skillfully enters into various characters while maintaining his narrative focus, and makes good use of facial expressions by not using them too often. In short, guided by director Katie Caussin, he gives a well-edited and pleasing performance.
The writing itself is not as well-edited, especially towards the end when Paul bogs down in the long story of "the engineer with the moustache," yet another of Paul's boyfriend attempts. Because it's just another failed relationshipa theme of the piecethere's no pay-off for the extra time Paul invests in this particular character, which pulls focus away from Paul. However, autobiographical solo pieces are self-centered works by nature, and Paul's focus needs to remain on himself.
Notwithstanding the skill of Paul the performer, the other aspect of the writing is that Paul's personal history is no more interesting than that of most other gay men ( or no less interesting ) , so a wild-and-crazy show it ain't. That brings me back to Paul remaining semi-closeted. He knew he was gay; he grew up in Boston, which has a large and active LGBT community; and he was in theateryet Paul's narrative leads one to believe he had no gay male friends, could find no gay role models and joined no gay social organizations, not even after moving to Chicago at 27 "to pursue my dream of being a boyfriend."
Maybe Paul intentionally is concealing more than he reveals. ( He manages to say he has big cock. ) Or maybe his story is an object study in the damage cybersex can wreak on real, flesh-on-flesh and heart-to-heart relationships. He says that finding sex was easy but intimacy was not. Yet, just as he appears to find intimacy and a lasting relationship, he ends the piece without telling us about it, which confirms that what's missing aren't facts, but feelings. If Paul makes it deeper, his material will become more unique rather than merely pleasing.