The Boys in the Band | Essays and Criticism

  • Historical Significance

    In this essay, the author discusses the historical significance of the play and looks at the reasons why its setting is so appropriate.

  • Acting Gay in the Age of Queer: Pondering the Revival of The Boys in the Band

    In the following essay, the author discusses the controversy over the representation of gay identity in the play The Boys in the Band, calling into question what it means to be a ‘‘gay spectator in the 1990s’’ while assessing various audience reactions to the play over time.

  • The Audiences of The Boys in the Band

    In the following essay, the author, focusing primarily on the movie version of The Boys in the Band, discusses the concept of the ‘‘gaze’’ in terms of a heterosexual audience and homosexual subjects and argues that the film’s gay stereotypes work to the advantage of the heterosexual norm.