Daddy

Tonight I saw a play called Daddy: a DownTownTheatre Company play at "The Barrow Group" Theatre. After I got a ticket I found out that it was sold out, which was exciting, because I expected it to be unheard of. It's set in modern-day Pittsburgh and shows us the lives and interactions of three gay men, two of them in their forties and one of them who is twenty-one: Colin, a witty bachelor, his frumpy and reclusive best friend Stew, and Tee, the young intern in Colin's job who swept him off his feet. It sounds boring and cliched but that's because I don't want to reveal how SHOCKING the plot becomes in case anyone else decides to see it. My mouth was literally open and covered for maybe five minutes and the audience had really physical reactions too--gasps all around. I knew something was going to happen because it said so in the synopsis, so, naturally, I tried to figure out what it was throughout the play, but all of my hypotheses were wrong. 

The furniture was set up in a unique way--the stage was divided into layers separated by transparent curtains, so some of the scenes were upstage and some were down, and two men came on stage between each scene to rearrange the curtains and add or take away props. 

The play was humorous because the dialogue was incredibly realistic, casual and relatable. I think most of that has to do with the fact that it is a modern play, and, not to mention, the playwright played Stew. 

I thought that the sequence of events was great and well thought-out. For most of the play it was sequential but the shocking plot-twister was news that was revealed rather than an action happening in front of our eyes, and the scene after was full of dialogue about Stew and Colin's pasts, which made everyone think back to the beginning and middle at the hints that were dropped. I was glad that the climax happened towards the end rather than in the middle like most plays because it left me with the feeling I felt when I had the revelation, rather than the feeling I had when I was simply watching the lives of three men. 

One thing that I noticed and loved about the play was that the "heavy" moments were accented with a light joke, and the humorous moments were accented with serious undertones. The audience was great, too--people were laughing hysterically. 

I realized after the show that a huge portion of the audience knew each other and the actors, or had close ties with the theater company. There was a reception (at which I stayed, to soak in the amazing and hilarious conversations going around.) The mother of Stew introduced herself to everyone as "the playwright's mother" rather than "the actor's mother" which was great. The actors themselves also came out to celebrate with everyone: there was a unique sense of community, and I realized that most of the audience members were gay men in their thirties and forties (sorry if it offends anyone that I'm assuming) which made me realize that most people enjoy seeing plays/art exhibits that relate to their own lives. I also saw many nodding heads and heard "m-hmm"s and scoffs of agreement when Colin, Stew and Tee's  told the stories and consequences of their coming out moments, adding to the incredible relationship between characters and the audience members. The actors themselves also came to the reception and socialized with everyone, and one of them is an apparently well-known actor (Gerald McCullouch) who has been in plenty of movies and on CSI for ten seasons.

The acting was great (I was especially impressed with the scene of the revelation) and while I was stealthily tuning in on people's conversations at the wine and cheese reception I heard one man talk to Gerald McCullouch about how he just knew what was going to happen because of the subtle hints and he even accidentally referred to Dan Via as "Stew," showing how convincing the actors really were. Everyone should see Daddy to find out what I'm talking about! I'm definitely glad that I went.