F**king Men and NBS

F**king Men - Arts Theatre (29 July)

What a pleasure to see a play about gay men that aren't suicidal or psychotic. Yes - the characters are mostly misfits, some verging on the freakish, but they were believable. Based in New York, there's the closeted Hollywood actor, and even more closeted soldier.

Then there's the porn star who likes popping E's, a couple in an open relationship, college slut, play write and sauna stalker. They seem obvious hits for a 'gay play' - but what's so refreshing is they very quickly reveal personalities which defy the stereotypes.

Broadly, this is a play about intertwining relationships and sexual connections, exploring the superficiality of gay lifestyles. It's challenging without being preachy, funny without playing the 'camp card'. But there are also some problems. There's often too much dialogue - some scenes really dragged - and the end is fairly weak. But there were good performances, and overall, I enjoyed the play.


Tim scores: 7/10

Naked Boys Singing - Arts Theatre (29 July)

So having seen F'ing Men (see above) - on the same night (and at the same theatre) - I was hoping to see something frivolous and fun. Sadly I was going to be disappointed.

The title says it all. But - even for me - this was way too gay. I can 'do' camp, but crap camp cabaret is not fun. There is nothing smart about the song “I Beat My Meat”, and once you've heard every possible synonym for penis in every single song - it gets a bit boring. Worse still, there's a cringe-worthy number about a peeping-tom which is supposed to be touching. But just sounds silly.

Yes the boys do get their kit off... but even though there were some hotties, I would have gladly paid them to put everything back on.

Tim scores: 2/10