Homos, or Everyone in America
Labyrinth Theater Company presents the world premiere of Jordan Seavey's tender drama about learning to live and love in New York City. Featuring Michael Urie ('Ugly Betty') and two-time Tony nominee Robin De Jesús.
“Love is love”–but is navigating it any less complicated today? What does it mean to be in a committed relationship? Is monogamy just monotony? Told through glimpses into the life of an everyday couple unexpectedly confronted by a vicious crime, 'Homos, or Everyone in America' is a fearless, comic, heart-on-its-sleeve examination of the moments that can bring two people together–or pull them apart.
- Official Site
- 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Already closed
- Bank Street Theatre (West Village)
Cast & Creatives (11)
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Reviews (59)
12 Critics' Reviews
"A daringly frank, funny and affecting new play...The zesty writing, which is often choppy and fragmented but always natural, is given an energizing boost by the superb performances...The play’s complex structure can be a little jarring at first...May make audiences with no taste for the detailed discussion of gay sex—or any sex, for that matter—uncomfortable...But set aside the bedroom talk...and the play is fundamentally about the problems inherent in any romantic relationship." Full Review
"This fascinating and fearless new play brims with universally recognizable emotions, even if they are dressed up in very culturally specific drag...With an eye for nuance and an ear for urban vernacular, Seavey explores the dynamics of modern gay life...The proximity of exposition to climax allows for some rather cruel foreshadowing...Thanks to airtight staging by director Mike Donahue, the play keeps it up until the very end...Even if we get lost, we always find our way back." Full Review
"This structure has the benefit, at least for a while, of keeping you attentively confused, as you try to figure out what is happening and when. Mike Donahue’s staging adds to disorientation...Affecting moments emerge. Urie and De Jesús, two of the city’s most charming actors, don’t just twinkle but spark...But there’s a lot more going on in 'Homos'—in some ways, too much...Although Seavey offers plenty of sharp reflections, the plot sometimes gets lost in the maze of broken mirrors." Full Review
"It might seem as if the creative team has put up barriers between the audience and the story...But as it turns out, the experiments in form, language and design do not get in the way of appreciating what’s strongest about the play: The central relationship is believable, and engrossing. This is in large measure because Michael Urie and Robin De Jesús are terrific actors, and also because the playwright is bluntly honest in exploring the range of emotions involved in any relationship." Full Review
"‘Homos’ tracks a relationship in almost Cubist fashion, taking the key moments in a gay love affair, scrambling them, and presenting them to us in tantalizing fragments…Under the direction of Mike Donahue, both actors nail their roles, leaping from one emotional landscape to another with ease…Years from now, if someone wants to know what it was like to be young, gay, and in love in the first years of the 21st century, 'Homos' will offer a most revealing glimpse." Full Review
“‘Homos, Or Everyone in America’ is, for the most part, funny, touching, thoughtful, and pertinent...Helping greatly to make the essentially familiar situations theatrically viable is Seavey’s distinctive gift for capturing the natural flow of conversation (much of it comically profane), with unfinished sentences broken into brief phrases that leave thoughts incompletely expressed, or that weave in and out in fragmented shards with the similarly splintered sentences of someone else.” Full Review
"The space and the play are a match made in heaven...The script does need some editing...Seavey does a magnificent job of creating two whole, rounded individuals, using sparse, overlapping dialog. And both Urie and De Jesús do a masterful job...Because of the structure of the play, we are forced to absorb and feel, and importantly, ultimately, identify before judging...We get an emotional investment in the unfolding relationship that we wouldn’t have otherwise received." Full Review
"It’s a mostly excruciating exercise in hollow glitziness...The exploration of gay relationships is certainly dramatic material but not in this treatment...Urie and De Jesús do deserve credit for effortlessly delivering the huge amounts of verbiage. Unfortunately, their performances are as grating as the play is...'Homos, or Everyone in America' craves to make grand statements on contemporary gay life. Due to its flashiness, superficiality and self-importance, it totally fails at this." Full Review
"Jordan Seavey’s new play presents a lot of problems. First, there’s that title...Then there’s the staging...Then there's the tricky sequencing: the story is told in fragments that move backward and forward in time...Jumbling the timeline does not lend the material greater heft...The Writer is described at one point as a gay Woody Allen. I found him basically unsympathetic, even when played by an actor as appealing as Urie. Robin De Jesus is very strong, especially at the play's climax." Full Review
"Its concise, shortened dialogue feels so forced here that it betrays the form, contradicting its purpose to reflect the fractured nature of ordinary speech. Instead the language takes on a disjointed quality that betrays the performances of Urie and De Jesús, each moment feeling disconnected in service of the annoying poetry...Despite this, 'Homos' remains mostly agreeable until it is betrayed by an ending that feels of a different time and era...The payoff feels wrong; the drama unnecessary." Full Review
"Gay equality in America is not a new topic in theater, but it’s brought to new intensity by playwright Jordan Seavey...The writing is laden with much wry humor...Urie maintains his boyish engaging charm...De Jesús, an equally fine actor, raises our compassion quotient. The writing style is fast, furious and frantic; scenes moving back and forth in time, somewhat confusing. The director, Mike Donahue, uses the small space to its max, which heightens the impact." Full Review
"The narrative jumps around in time, as if on shuffle or told through an addled memory...Donahue's staging has a similar sketched-in aspect...Neither character emerges as distinct, largely because, for all their disagreements, they sound so much alike...Despite Urie's fidgety charisma and the emotional openness De Jesús offers, there's something arch and artificial about Seavey's refusal to portray the more quiet, everyday moments that characterize a long-term romance." Full Review
47 Members' Reviews
See it if you want to see a smart, engaging play that deals with complicated issues in a gay relationship, with excellent acting.
Don't see it if you want a play with a traditional narrative structure, or traditional staging.
See it if drama about relationships
Don't see it if gay themes
See it if you want to see incredible acting by Michael Urie and Robin De Jesus with themes of love and acceptance
Don't see it if you want an easy-to-understand story that would hold up with lesser actors or if bad sight lines would bother you
See it if You enjoy shows depicting a very typical gay NY experience as societal norms change through the years.
Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with graphic sex portrayed on stage. You have no interest in the problems that gays face in their daily interactions.
See it if you are interested in plays that chronicle relationships and if you like jumping timelines. Robin de Jesus and Michael Urie were fantastic.
Don't see it if you have a difficult time following shows when the timeline jumps around or if you don't want to see discussion of a hate crime.
See it if You're a gay man who appreciates drama reflecting real life, or someone who appreciates all kinds of romantic dramadies.
Don't see it if You aren't interested in listening to the ins and outs of a relationship between two young, gay men.
See it if you like to se a show presented in an unconventional way. you like to see a relationship between 2 men evolve. the happy the sad.
Don't see it if you are not open minded on gay relationships
See it if you think you'd enjoy a dramatization of a relevant issue today.
Don't see it if you are homophobic or if you can't handle a play that flashes back and forth in time.
See it if you like to be challenged at the theatre. The seating alone is different and fresh. The structure of the play is tricky but rewarding.
Don't see it if you're squeamish about sexual content - or if you don't like being seen while you're in the theatre. Lots of eye contact with other audience
See it if you like Michael Urie, intriguing format concepts, or care about the history of the gay rights movement in NYC between Stonewall and 2011
Don't see it if you're offended by bigoted anti-gay, antisemitic, misogynistic, or anti almost anything language, descriptions of gay sex acts or drug use.
Also We think Michael Urie can do no wrong, it was great to see him live ag... Read more Read less
See it if you're a fan of either/both Urie & DeJesus; if you're a student of "gay plays"
Don't see it if you're not up for an elaborate "non-linear" experiment that doesn't deliver much beyond purported pleasure of puzzling through the pieces
See it if you're a Michael Urie fan, enjoy clever gay romance with odd chronology but very clear, like intimate designed space with scenes all around
Don't see it if not a fan of gay plays or open affection, don't like being in the midst of action (no audience participation) or unusual chronology
See it if you want to see an incredible performance by Michael Urie. One of the best I have seen in a long time. I can't imagine seeing this great
Don't see it if show anywhere else. They made great use of the space. Really well written and staged
See it if You enjoy dialog driven plays in unusual venues
Don't see it if You are claustrophobic
See it if You want to see the intricate nature of male relationships done in an immersion setting
Don't see it if You want chronological progression of story
See it if Great acting by Michael Urie and Robin de Jesus. Loved the intimate space. Relevant socially!
Don't see it if non-linear storytelling confuses you
See it if I really enjoyed this play, despite having 1 of the 3 worst seats in the house. Robin De Jesus is captivating. Funny, sad &a shocking moment
Don't see it if You're not interested in gay topics, awkward seating arrangement, a narrative that goes back-and forth in time; its non-linear.....
See it if you like gay-themed relationship plays.
Don't see it if you dislike stories told non-linearly.
See it if you are interested in seeing a slice of gay life in New York over recent decades.
Don't see it if you are not interested in gay topics and have a low tolerance for bickering.
Also The staging is extremely awkward. Where you are sitting can make the d... Read more Read less
See it if you're a fan of Robin de Jesus and/or Michael Urie-- great work from both of them as always
Don't see it if you're not interesting in a non linear storyline of a relationship where nothing really happens
See it if you enjoy intimate theater that gets up close and personal; this is high-quality writing and acting, and completely absorbing. I loved it.
Don't see it if you're easily offended by somewhat frank conversations about sex; if you're offended by homosexuality (but then you should work on that).
See it if you can. This show is literally for and about everyone in America.
Don't see it if you're not interested or invested in what it means to be alive right now.
See it if You want a funny look into urban gay life in USA
Don't see it if Gay intimacy makes you uncomfortable
See it if you like intimate plays imaginatively staged in a very small space; plays that look at modern gay life but with timeless emotional impact
Don't see it if you're not comfortable wit explicit gay themes or plays staged in very small spaces,
See it if You enjoy seeing LGBTQ themed plays and gay relationships played out in a realistic way. You like Robin de Jesus and Michael Urie.
Don't see it if You dislike discussions of drug use and gay sex. You dislike non-linear plays. You dislike partial view seats.
Also Michael Urie and Robin de Jesus are amazing. ... Read more Read less