MAKING THE BOYS (Crayton Robey, U.S.). 90 minutes. Sunday (May 22), 4:45 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1.
INSIDE OUT TORONTO LGBT FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL at TIFF Bell Lightbox and Buddies in Bad Times, from today (Thursday, May 19) to May 29. $6-$13, galas $22-$28 (including after-party). 416-599-8433, insideout.ca. See Indie & Rep Film. Rating: NNNN
Crayton Robey’s must-see doc about Boys In The Band playwright Mart Crowley provides a fascinating look at theatre, glam 60s Hollywood, the gay liberation movement and even the AIDS crisis.
Crowley wrote the groundbreaking 1968 play in five weeks, after receiving some psychoanalysis sessions as a birthday gift from Natalie Wood. (He was then her personal assistant.) The play and subsequent film version divided viewers, some of whom opposed its negative portrayals of queers, while others felt empowered by seeing gay characters presented at all.
Robey interviews many theatre types (among them Terrence McNally, Larry Kramer and Cheyenne Jackson), and also looks at the play’s original cast members, many of whom met tragic ends.
Crowley, who never had another hit play, comes across as modest and self-effacing, even though he’ll forever be part of gay history.
