Good Boys
Reviewed by Terry Morgan
Pasadena Playhouse
Through July 21
When, in 2008, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa premiered Good Men and True, his tale of privileged young prep school students acting badly, it certainly wasn’t new or surprising — this sort of pernicious behavior has gone on for generations. But the obnoxious, beer-relishing example of Brett Kavanaugh brought entitled, smug white men back into the spotlight again, so Aguirre-Sacasa revised his play, under the new title of Good Boys. Now, the Pasadena Playhouse has mounted it. Unfortunately, this new production is a fairly toothless beast, more focused on the psychological motives of the protagonist than on the fate of his victim.
It’s 1989. At St. Joseph’s, a private high school, Brandon (Ben Ahlers) and Justin (Dylan Arnold) are teammates on the football team. They also occasionally have sex, but Brandon would like to keep that information quiet. The status of his private life changes, however, on the day a sex tape surfaces with somebody who looks a lot like him having illicitly filmed a rough sex session with a young woman. Coach Russell (James Carpinello) brings it to Brandon’s mother, Elizabeth (Betsy Brandt), to see if the perpetrator is her son. When the truth is discovered, a lot of the darkness just under the surface of their lives is revealed.
As Elizabeth, Brandt’s performance is curiously muted; she rarely ventures to express either dynamic anger or deep despair, but instead remains on a steady note of confusion and mild frustration, which contributes to the production’s tepid quality. Ahlers brings more passion to Brandon, but his character as written remains a bit of a whiny cypher. Arnold’s Justin is funny and likable, although the role as conceived flirts strongly with gay stereotype. Carpinello’s Russell is solid, even if some of the plot machinations he’s caught up in beggar credibility. Finally, Brett Cooper is quite good as the angry victim Cheryl, especially in a scene in which she lashes into someone for only seeming to want to help her.
Carolyn Cantor’s direction is professional if not especially distinctive, but Dane Laffrey’s set creates an appropriately tony and austere ambience. The writing is the main problem with this show. It feels like a shallow dive into what should be deep waters, and its conclusions are muddled and unsatisfying. It’s also very jokey and polite, as if Aguirre-Sacasa is worried about boring or offending the audience — which doesn’t generally make for great theatre.
There is almost certainly a strong play to be made from this subject matter, but unfortunately Good Boys isn’t it.
The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; through Jul. 21. www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org. Running time: approximately two hours and 15 minutes, with an intermission.
