Good Boys are True

Good Boys Are True, which opened last week at New Conservatory Theatre Company’s Walker Theatre, was a disappointing amateur production that failed to fully grasp playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s underlying intent. The acting consisted of line recitations and playing emotion rather than embodying a character who realizes the situation and experiences its emotional impetus. Physical movement was minimal and did not support the dialogue freely. Given the void in character development, character portrayals were shallow. It is possible that to some extent the flat character portrayals were directorial and not necessarily the result of amateur acting, given their consistency throughout the production.

Josh McDermott's set was effective and serviceable, the emblem of the school in the center back wall of the stage with various pieces of nondescript plastic furniture for seating in multiple settings, along with a portable stack of gym lockers. Scene changes were executed smoothly and efficiently.

Directed by John Dixon, the play opens after the discovery of a pornographic video by coach Russell Shea (Mark Irwin) at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School. He has called Elizabeth Hardy (Jennifer McGeorge), the mother of who appears to be the boy in the video to initiate damage control, the boy being Brandon Hardy (Brady Boyd), the captain of the football team who is idolized by his peers. The video shows only the back side of the boy, who is clearly manipulating and exposing the girl, Cheryl Moody (Vivian Kane) to the camera.

It isn’t long before the discovery of the video reaches scandalous proportions and is devastating the lives of Brandon and Cheryl, their families and their friends. Along for the ride is Brandon’s buddy, Justin Simmons (Sal Mattos), who is openly gay and has been pleasuring Brandon on the sly since they met as freshmen. Elizabeth’s single sister, Maddy Emerson (Erin Hoffman), a high school teacher, serves as Elizabeth's sounding board.

The only moment of character realization in the play takes place when Cheryl notices Brandon at a Food Court and, like an insecure adolescent, is gullibly impressed before she obediently launches into line recitations. The female portrayals, though all emerging from the actors’ heads rather than from the bodies of their characters, exhibited more subtlety and flexibility than the male portrayals, which were stiffer and closer to monotone.

It is hard to determine the full dramatic ramifications of the play, given the lack of character development and absence of nuance in the production. An underlying theme in the play that is treated like a dangling afterthought is Brandon’s sexual orientation as a closeted gay man. It would be interesting to see how this seemingly untidy detail is handled in a more professional production.

Good Boys and True plays Wednesday through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the New Conservatory Theatre Center’s Walker Theatre at 25 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, California, through September 20, 2009. Tickets may be obtained online at www.nctcsf.org.