Afterglow
Reviewed by V Cate
Midnight Theatricals at the Hudson Theatre
Thru June 19
Josh and Alex are two young, beautiful husbands who share an apartment in New York. Josh (Noah Bridgestock) makes a living as a theater director, while Alex (James Hayden Rodriguez) studies the sciences. They are soon expecting a child, but in the meantime enjoy the pleasures of an open marriage. They invite Darius (Nathan Mohebbi) over for a night of lust, but the connection that develops between Josh and Darius becomes complicated.
Thematically, writer-director S. Asher Gelman’s Afterglow is about polyamory more than it is about queer romance. And in that regard, Josh and Alex are predictatbly doomed from the start. Another term for polyamory is “ethical non-monogamy,” and the ethics behind successful poly relationships are rooted in communication, clear boundaries, and emotional maturity. Josh, with his puppy-like anxious attachment style, and Alex with his avoidant attachment style, are inherently mismatched. They seem determined to try to fix their relationship not only by opening it up, but by having a child together – two dire relationship mistakes that never solve the underlying problems.
Josh & Alex do clearly share love for each other, but as Darius (new to polyamory and the only one with a healthy attachment style) says: sometimes love is not enough. Josh and Alex don’t listen to each other’s needs, nor do they respect each other’s boundaries. So it’s no surprise that lies and resentment start to seep in. Deceit and resentment are poison to any relationship, but they especially erode the foundation of healthy polyamory.
The relationships within this play are doomed, but although the script does not make it clear, the fault is decidedly with the characters, not with the fact that those relationships are gay or poly. There are countless healthy queer relationships, and countless successful polyamorous arrangements. The script is based on real life events, but Gelman could have allowed the characters Josh and Alex to shoulder more responsibility. They could have learned lessons, and they could have been a bit more sympathetic. Instead, it seems mostly as though they are inactive participants in a tragedy outside of their control.
Darius, played deftly by Mohebbi, is the grounding force of the show. He tries his best to navigate the complicated dynamic in front of him while trying to be the best person he can be. He is a force of levity and brightness. It would be have made the play so much richer to deepen the bond between Alex and Darius, rather than keep them mostly at arm’s length.
Afterglow is advertised as “Los Angeles’ steamiest show,” and has boasted successful runs in New York and abroad, largely due to presenting it as a rock-hard sex-fest. There is certainly a liberal share of nudity, as well as unapologetic gay sex, but despite that, sex scenes are never presented as raw or carnal. Under the care of intimacy coordinators Ann James & Chelsey Morgan, sex is expressed more elegantly, dreamily, through shadow, through stylized movement, through massage, through tenderness, and through shower scenes.
Yes, shower scenes! Which are made possible by Ann Beyersdorfer’s brilliant scenic design. Comprised of glass and mirror, the stage is furnished with modular set pieces, which transform chic-ly into various in-play living spaces. At the center of the stage lies a drain, made to collect the water which pours powerfully from above. Working in tandem with Jamie Roderick’s lighting design, the visual experience is fantastic.
And the shower scenes are transcendently beautiful. The casual nature of the male nudity and the beauty in which gay intimacy is portrayed surpasses mere aesthetics; these physical and emotional connections being represented are important, showing the vitality of the characters’ emotions while displaying gay love with pride.
Midnight Theatricals at the Hudson Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.- Sat., 8pm; Sun., 7pm; thru June 19; www.afterglowla.com. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission.
