15th Play - 7/15/23 - Bootycandy by Robert O'Hara

After reading Barbecue, the fabulous Lusie Cuskey asked me if I’d ever read this play of O’Hara’s. I had not, although it was the one I had heard about the most. So, I read it! Here’s what I thought.

Summary: "Sutter is on an outrageous odyssey through his childhood home, his church, dive bars, motel rooms and even nursing homes. A kaleidoscope of sketches that interconnect to portray growing up gay and black, Robert O’Hara’s subversive, uproarious satire crashes headlong into the murky terrain of pain and pleasure and... BOOTYCANDY." (Playwrights Horizons)

Loved: I've heard of this play for years but never read it. The first scene is young Sutter and his mother, talking about his "bootycandy" (gotta read the play to find out what that is!), and the next one is about a priest coming out of the closet to his congregation, taking off his robe to reveal a fancy dress and heels. Both are funny and thought provoking, if slightly confusing at first. It took me a few scenes to figure out that the scenes are all loosely related and mostly revolving around Sutter's life. I like that it teases "autobiographical" without fully acknowledging what is and isn't the life of the actual playwright. Also, I really enjoyed (and cringed at) the scene with the group of Black playwrights who don't understand the purpose of the interview by the white moderator, or that the interview is part of a conference, or really even that there is an audience, until it is pointed out to them, using the audience in the theatre. I love good metatheatricality! Additionally, the somewhat inane questions from the moderator emphasize the micro-aggressions facing Black playwrights, as well as Black people in general. The moderator asks what the subject of one writer's play has to do with race, and the writer responds, " Why does it have to have anything to do with Race?" The moderator responds, "You're a black playwright." Ouch. Another favorite was the scene where teenage Sutter's mother and stepfather are telling him all the things he needs to do, basically to keep him from being gay, including “stop sitting down to Pee”, “build a Snowman” and “scrub the bathroom with more Comet.” Finally the mother yells: "This summer you will learn to CATCH. SOMETHIN!... I dont give a damn what kind of ball it is but you will spend this coming summer with BALLS in yo FACE!!!" Which is hysterical, but the bigger picture of the scene where the parents deny what young Sutter really wants to do (“go to Show Choir camp”, “pretend to conduct a Gospel Choir”, “make up Songs about Food”, etc.) is very specific and sad. However, O'Hara makes the parents' list of things Sutter cannot and must do so long and ridiculous that we almost forget how sad it is, in laughing at the absurdity of it. This is O'Hara at his best, from my perspective.

What I didn’t Love: At first, I was confused, as I mentioned, and didn't realize the sketches would eventually relate to each other. To be honest, I was less excited about reading a collection of sketches. Once I started putting the pieces together, I appreciated the piece more, but overall, there isn't really a plot to the whole piece, which I liked less. There are some very specific and graphic discussions about sex that aren’t offensive to me, but I personally don’t enjoy. I did understand the purpose of them and frankly, that's just part of what this play is. Writing this makes me feel like a real prude, sigh, but I think I just prefer innuendos to explicit descriptions. I do think some of the explicit conversation (between Roy and Sutter) could probably be very erotic and enjoyable with the right direction and good chemistry between the actors. But if you're someone who really doesn't like that, this play will likely be problematic for you. I think that's part of O'Hara's intention, frankly. I also didn't love the scene with Sutter and his gay friend, Larry, where Clint, the "straight" white character, comes into the bar and they play Truth or Dare. I suspect I'm supposed to be totally uncomfortable with that whole scene and the aftermath of it, and I definitely was. I get the point of why Sutter and Larry are so angry at this "straight" white man's desire to play sexually in the gay world, but I really did not enjoy this whole story and especially what is done as "revenge," even if Cliff is a total jerk. Again, I'm sure this is all part of O'Hara’s plan and it works. I do even empathize with Sutter and am very put off by Clint’s behavior and attitude as well, but the whole thing complicates our feelings for Sutter and is just generally upsetting. This is not really a criticism of the writing, just something I didn't enjoy.

Overall: This was a very interesting, occasionally challenging, often HYSTERICAL, and frequently quite uncomfortable play. I believe Robert O'Hara intended ALL of these things. But the funny parts carry through the uncomfortable ones, and are a great way to bring up racism and homophobia without being completely didactic. Robert O'Hara is a playwright who constantly surprises, and this play is no exception. I prefer the other plays of his I have read or seen (Insurrection: Holding History and Barbecue), because there is more of a plotline that goes all the way through those. That being said, since there is a relationship between all the scenes in Bootycandy, however loose it may be, we definitely do care about Sutter, despite the complications of that character, especially with what happens late in the play with Clint. I think watching a production would be a much more powerful experience, for both the comedic elements as well as the deeper, darker ones, and I hope to have the chance to do that one day.

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

Want to know more about this show? Here’s an essay written about it by Robert O’Hara: https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/trailers/robert-ohara-bootycandy/