Biography
Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on August 21, 1935, Mart Crowley grew up in a conservative household deeply rooted in Roman Catholic traditions. His early education in a parochial school reflected his upbringing, but young Mart had dreams beyond his hometown's confines. Drawn to the glamour of Hollywood, he eventually made his way to Los Angeles, driven by a passion for film and theater.
Early Life and Education
Mart Crowley was an only child, raised by devout parents who instilled in him the values of the Roman Catholic Church. His father, an Irishman from the Midwest, ran a pool hall in Vicksburg, emblazoned with the motto, “Where all good fellows meet.” Despite a childhood marked by asthma and illness, Crowley found solace in the movies and Hollywood magazines, nurturing a lifelong fascination with show business.
In the early 1950s, Mart left Vicksburg for Los Angeles, taking various low-wage jobs to be close to the film industry. His father's aspirations for him to attend Notre Dame were partly fulfilled when Crowley enrolled at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he excelled in costume and scene design. However, dissatisfied with the conservative social scene in Washington, Crowley soon returned to Hollywood to study art at UCLA, aiming for a career in scenic design.
Professional Beginnings
After returning to Catholic University, Crowley collaborated on a revue with James Rado, who would later co-write the musical Hair. He also gained experience in summer-stock theater in Vermont. Upon graduating in 1957, Crowley briefly flirted with the idea of joining the Foreign Service but chose instead to return to Southern California.
There, he penned several unproduced screenplays and worked behind the scenes on films like Butterfield 8 and Splendor in the Grass. His work on the latter led to a pivotal connection with Natalie Wood, who employed him as her secretary for two years, during which he adapted Dorothy Baker's novel Cassandra at the Wedding for her, though the film was never made.
The Journey to "The Boys in the Band"
Struggling with personal issues, Crowley took a respite in Rome, staying with actor Robert Wagner. By 1967, he had returned to Los Angeles, where he penned the screenplay Fade-in for Paramount Studios. Unfortunately, the film was never released, a setback that led Crowley to psychoanalysis and eventually sparked the idea for his groundbreaking play.
During a summer in Beverly Hills, Crowley wrote The Boys in the Band, capturing the dynamics among a group of homosexual friends at a birthday party. Despite initial skepticism from agents about its market readiness, the play caught the attention of producer Richard Barr and was eventually staged at the Playwrights Unit workshop. Finding actors willing to play homosexual roles proved challenging, but the cast was ultimately comprised of lesser-known performers.
Impact and Reception
Debuting at the Vandam Theatre in January 1968, The Boys in the Band soon transferred to New York's Theatre Four. It was a box office hit and garnered praise from critics, though some reviews from within the gay community found fault with its portrayal of homosexuality. Nevertheless, the play enjoyed a lengthy run, extended success in London's theaters, and was adapted into a film by William Friedkin with the original cast.
Accolades followed, including a Drama Desk Award for director Robert Moore and an Obie Award for actor Cliff Gorman. While some in the gay community criticized the play for suggesting homosexuality was linked to psychological issues, its influence on American theater was undeniable. It opened doors for more direct explorations of gay themes in plays by Michael Cristofer, Lanford Wilson, and...
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others.
Later Career
Following the success of The Boys in the Band, Crowley faced challenges with his subsequent works. Remote Asylum (1970) received poor reviews and was not staged in New York, while A Breeze from the Gulf (1973) had a modestly better reception but failed to captivate audiences like his earlier play.
Shifting focus, Crowley ventured into television, serving as a script consultant and producer for the series Hart to Hart during the 1979-1980 season. His later play, For Reasons That Remain Unclear (1993), saw regional success, coinciding with a revival of The Boys in the Band in New York.
Legacy and Influence
In the 1980s, Crowley adapted novels like James Kirkwood's There Must Be a Pony for television and appeared in the documentary The Celluloid Closet (1995). He revisited his iconic characters in The Men from the Boys, a sequel uniting most of the original cast of The Boys in the Band. Crowley's pioneering work paved the way for plays addressing the gay experience and was instrumental in shaping the dialogue around gay representation in the arts.
His contributions helped catalyze a cultural shift that encouraged more nuanced and varied portrayals of gay lives on stage, influencing subsequent generations of playwrights like Harvey Fierstein and Larry Kramer.