Only Ugly Guys
Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre (Ernest Edwards)
Last night the Gremlin Theatre hosted the Running Errands new play of Only Ugly Guys, written by Kurt Engh. It is a modern day play about the lives of four gay men. There’s married couple Brad (Steve Mallers) and Adam (Jack Oleg), their houseguest Chase/Ciprian (Trent Ramert) and Dean (Leo Rossmiller). Adam is sex therapist, Dean has generational family wealth, Ciprian loves spending time at clubs and bathhouses as a pass around party bottom, and Dean has a successful Onlyfans career.
As you enter the theater, you go through a plastic sheet tunnel in the lobby. Are we going clubbing? Are going to a bathhouse? Are we seeing a play? You don’t know until you enter the theater space. The club music before the play helps to set the mood too. Excellent work with the setting up the atmosphere.
One of my favorite moments in the play, is the opening sequence. It’s in the dark of night, and four guys are trying to get dressed in a hurry in the dark before any knows they were there. It’s well executed chaos.
The story really gets interesting when Brad and Adam decide to open their marriage and start sleeping around. Cirpian wants Dean, Brad wants Cirprian, Adam doesn’t know what he wants, Dean just wants to have a really good time. Everything falls apart at the end of the first act. The second act begins with Brad and Adam still married, but Brad is now with Cirprian and Adam is now with Dean. Cirprian is jealous that Adam is with Dean and tries to take Dean down. To say things get messy, is an understatement.
The final scene is a year later and the guys meet up at Brad’s cabin. Mistakes were made, feelings were hurt, this group realizes the importance of friendship that they have. There was also a prediction made in the final scene, which takes place in 2026 that was that marriage equality had ended. That hit me hard. I hope that does not become reality.
This play is edgy, current, funny and has some tender moments.
I had only stumbled across this play a week ago. Glad I was able to see it before it closes on Saturday September 27. Please check www.gremlintheatre.org for tickets.
What I also really liked about the cast, besides the eye candy on stage, was reading the program and seeing how many were local to the Twin Cities and studied with the University of Minnesota BFA program with the Guthrie Theater. One cast member also performed with American Players Theater.
