Tim Rock ( left ) and Stephen Louis Grush in Good Boys and True. Photo by Michael Brosilow. Playwright: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. At: Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Phone: 312-335-1650; $20-$68. Runs through: Feb. 16
A graphic sex tape rocks an exclusive East Coast Catholic boys' prep school. Star student/jock Brandon Hardy is implicated as the boy assaulting a young woman, but he denies it to his mother and to his fellow student and secret lover, Justin Simmons. Act I answers the question of Brandon's involvement while Act II investigates the 'why,' largely through the sleuthing of Brandon's engaged but cool mother.
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's solidly efficient and taut world-premiere drama works smoothly and quietly. Its vocabulary never sounds exceptional or poetic or fancy as it divulges secrets carefully, yet slowly reels you in. But it's somewhat obscure what Good Boys and True is about, as Aguirre-Sacasa softly but repeatedly shifts focus from the shocked and questioning mother, to the relationship of Brandon and Justin, to the larger social world of the privileged prep school itself. Late revelations also make Brandon's never-seen father an important character, fulfilling the biblical injunction about sins of the father being visited upon the sons. Indeed, revealing an incident involving the father years earlier may be one secret too many as it doesn't really effect the play's resolution. It does have character impact, however, suggesting that the father may need to be seen onstage.
As staged by Pam MacKinnon ( viewed at the final preview ) , Good Boys and True is understated in the extreme, even unenergized. Everything's conversational with few emotional highs and little range in vocal dynamics. But even a highly naturalistic work has, and needs in presentation, some peaks and valleys, some moments of acting dazzle and emotional intensity ( whether loud or soft ) and these are decidedly lacking, although the more-than-competent cast grasps the characters well. MacKinnon's calculated restriction of most physical contact between characters—especially between mother and son until the penultimate scene—also calls attention to itself as curious rather than effective.
For Windy City Times readers, a gay playwright's examination of a hidden adolescent gay relationship may be of interest. Justin is out while Brandon is closeted—complete with a never-seen girlfriend with whom he may be sexually active—due to his football-star status and his own interpretation of what is expected of him. The videotape fulfills Brandon's need to publicly demonstrate hetero virility, although he and Justin plan to attend Dartmouth together. Catching Brandon in his denial, Justin blames himself. 'I've been giving you permission for three years' Justin tells Brandon, to treat Justin as a side dish and to deny his true sexuality. Justin makes a forceful break: 'When you see me, don't stop, don't say 'Hi.' We're strangers. We mean nothing to each other.' Justin refuses to be victimized any longer. But Brandon's self-victimization is the central theme, with the play exploring the conditions that motivated it.