12th Play - 7/12/23 - Murmurs of the Heart by Noah Way

I have been meaning to read this play for a while, and now is the perfect time to do it!

Summary: "The play centers around Bryce, a precocious student attempting to come to terms with (or deny) his sexuality. At odds with his conservative father since his mother's passing, he is locked away in a motel room for the weekend with a hired escort called Lola. During their time together the two black-sheep come to bond in unexpected ways. At the motel Bryce finds another teen his age. An edgy guy named Dev who proves to either be the problem-- or the answer to all of his existential questions regarding his identity." (from Backstage Casting Listing)

Loved: I really loved the characters in this play. Poor Bryce is trying SO hard not to admit (to himself or the rest of the world) that he is gay, and Lola, the “escort,” continues to call him on it. She's a great character - very comfortable with the work she does and prides herself on being good at the part that really matters, getting a man to relax. I love that our biases against sex workers make us think she's probably not very smart, but as the play goes on, we learn that she is, indeed, quite intelligent. Bryce is not the only one who can spout "five dollar words." I really enjoyed how Lola is very comfortable with who she is, even in the beginning scene which could be totally awkward for everyone, since Bryce is uncomfortable both in the situation and in his own self. I liked Dev a lot at first, as he seemed vulnerable - with parents who don't really care, as he reveals to Bryce, and a boyfriend who's going to break up with him as soon as he learns Dev's family is moving. But Lola is my favorite, and as the play goes on, she proves to be quite caring, which again goes against what we are led to expect - not just because of her profession, but her costume (“a big, faux fur jacket” and she “carries an obnoxiously large purse. Her heels manage to find a way to click with every step she takes”) and her "I don't care, I'm just here to do a job" comments at the beginning. She's ultimately very human, and quickly moves from stereotype to very interesting human being. I also loved Bryce’s painful journey of denial and ultimately discovery of his sexuality. That sounds terrible, but although incredibly trying for the character, as the audience member, I thought it was pretty accurate for how some people deal with coming to terms with a sexuality that many in our culture sadly consider wrong and not “normal.” Both Lola and Dev manage to tease more out of him and challenge Bryce, which is fun to see in his journey.

What I didn’t Love: *** SPOILER *** I didn't love Dev's behavior in the end. The fact that all of a sudden he just doesn't want to be with someone who is new, and a little tentative, in their sexuality, and that he's also so cocky he knows he can get anyone at any time, feels a little too easy when it happens. I wonder if there's potentially something deeper going on there - maybe he feels rejected when Bryce doesn't come to his room immediately and then leaves to avoid his own vulnerability. If that's what happened, we'd need to see a moment of that somewhere, and less of the scene where he talks about how hot he is. Less of that scene and we might believe that talk was just bravado covering embarrassment. That all being said, there are people like that, especially at 18, and with his jerk-like behavior he does provide the opportunity for Lola to confront him, which is unexpected and provides further evidence of the strength and heart in her character. I also don't love the name of the play and the subtitle: Murmurs of the Heart: A Metamorphosis in Two Acts. This play is cooler and more interesting than the title suggests. To me, "Murmurs of the Heart" is a little too vague for my taste. The play has a lot of wonderful specificity, and I think another title could capture that better. And is there really a metamorphosis? That word suggests a complete change. I realize that as the play comes toward the end, Bryce kind of accepts that he likes guys instead of girls, but it isn’t a complete change. He definitely does change, and I actually like that it's not 100% loud and proud yet - that would be too easy. But I'm not sure I'd call it a metamorphosis. That's just my opinion.

Overall: I really enjoyed this play. The dialogue is fun and the play has depth and humor at the same time. The pain and pleasure of discovering and accepting your sexuality feels real and is enjoyable to read, if not so enjoyable for the main character to experience. I also really liked the journeys of Bryce and Lola and the relationship that develops between them over the course of the play. Dev starts off as a fun character, but his journey was less believable to me. And I would love to see a more apt and interesting title for what I think is a very interesting play. I would love to be a part of a production of this or to see it.

Here’s a link to Google Sheets with more info about the play: Play a Day Sheet

Check out the playwright’s article about premiering the play in very red state Tennessee - it’s a powerful piece about why we do art despite fear: https://medium.com/@itsnoahway/when-your-art-scares-you-too-much-5f0067b5de12