Jon Marans’ “The Temperamentals” is a play about an important piece of LGBTQ history.
I just wish it felt less like a history lesson and more like a glimpse into the psyches of the men who founded Mattachine, one of the country’s first gay rights organizations. I purposely use the term gay and not LGBTQ here. This was the time before the all-inclusive umbrella and this group of five men were all white and in the words of one, “… do not want to be considered a minority, like the negroes.” A jarring reminder that although they may have been standing up for our rights, these men were certainly flawed people and a reflection of the values of their time with all the misogyny, racism, and other isms we must overcome.
John Hernandez, who plays Harry Hay, has the charisma the role calls for. Kris Perez, in his first professional acting gig, shows promise as Hays’ lover, designer Rudi Gernreich, although he needs to learn how to do an Austrian accent and stick with it. Eric Fields, Alad Goodman, and Bob Sharkey are all good as co-founders of Mattachine, and in multiple other roles. The only problem is that there isn’t enough differentiation when they are playing the other roles and then switch to their main role. If they are not able to do so completely with characterization, then perhaps a costume piece would be helpful. Marans’ script is also sometimes a little coy in naming names as if this was still the 1950s. Such as when he’s referencing a big Hollywood name, only calling him Vincent. It even took me a few minutes to realize he was referring to Minnellli and not Price. Later, he does the same with Judy Garland. My god, they’re both dead, neither can sue you. Name their names! Sometimes Hay’s speeches and even his conversational pieces seem a little didactic. I met Harry Hay more than once, and that is how he spoke.
The show runs long, almost two and a half hours with a short intermission. I saw the show the second performance and hopefully, the performances will tighten up a bit, because other than that, it is a well-acted show. The set is simple. The back wall is a set of framed caricatures of the five founders of the Mattachine Society. Modular set pieces become a bar, a bedroom, etc. serving their purpose. At the end of the show, a brief bio is given about each of the founders, they go upstage, remove their pictures, and erase their names. Then there is a frame that sits empty and is never addressed. Is this because the set designer felt that part of the wall needed a frame? Why? It all seems a bit odd. They have not been removed from history. It would make more sense to have them place their photo in the frame and sign their name underneath, meaning that they are now a part of history.
The Temperamentals
S&S Productions
Empire Stage
1140 N. Flagler
954-678-1496
Empirestage.com
