In 1968, playwright Mart Crowley made history with his play The Boys In The Band. A drama that showcased openly gay characters, and one fateful night that they shared together full of drama and heartbreak, it’s been a landmark of theatrical history in the over 50 years since its debut. And now, producer Ryan Murphy is about to revive the beloved play once again, with an all-star cast, in a feature film adaptation for Netflix. Here now, is the first trailer for The Boys in the Band:
As a group of friends gather to celebrate a very special birthday, The Boys in the Band starts to unravel the fabric of the entire group. Revelations and surprises are in order, with one hell of an assortment of actors on deck to bring this classic to life once again. What’s better, the entire cast from the 2018 Broadway revival, including recent Hollywood collaborator Jim Parsons, Doom Patrol’s Matt Bomer, Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto, and Hamilton stage star Andrew Rannells, are reprising their roles under the supervision of their stage director, Joe Mantello.
Equal parts comedy and tragedy, The Boys in the Band forces its characters together to fight out some long standing grudges, as well as resolve some personal issues, in a way that Ryan Murphy fans are pretty familiar with. Maintaining the cast and director from the most recent revival of the show, which Murphy also had a hand in producing, makes for one of those adaptations that takes collaborators familiar with the material and gives them another stage to perform upon.
Of course, since this is a feature film adaptation, there’s bound to be some changes and flourishes that are added to The Boys in the Band’s story for this latest version. But, of course, a fine line will have to be drawn between the new and the old, which is possibly the most exciting piece of this project’s potential. Much like new conversations with an old friend, the cast and director of The Boys in the Band will understand those changes in a different light.
With a Netflix partnership that’s given the world things like the limited series Hollywood, as well as the upcoming feature adaptation of the musical sensation The Prom, Ryan Murphy has been putting his stamp on the streaming service’s library. That relationship looks like it’s going to continue to be particularly rewarding, as The Boys in the Band promises a fantastic expansion of the play its remaking for modern history. The Boys in the Bandwill start dialing up drama on September 30th, only on Netflix.
