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| Matrix Theatre 7657 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles 90046 (323) 852-1445 info@salemktheatreco.org |
REVIEWS & PRESS
LA WEEKLY
June 2, 2008
GO! Playwright Gene Franklin Smith’s character-driven drama about gay persecution in the ’
50s avoids politically correct preachiness, and instead conveys a powerful message through
crackling stagecraft. In 1955, Boise, Idaho, is on the brink of becoming a big city, complete
with all the urban troubles and crimes that come with it. Amid this atmosphere of civic
insecurity, 17-year-old hustler Eldon (Westley Thornton, nicely weasely) gets arrested for
lewd behavior — and to save his skin, he publicly names his many clients, sparking a witch
hunt. The subsequent prosecutions spread from child molesters to homosexuals to political
opponents of the town’s Machiavellian mayor (George McDaniel). Caught in the trap is
respected bank vice president Joe Moore (Kris Kamm), who watches as his happy family life
crashes and burns. Director Arturo Castillo’s energetic and taut staging fiercely renders the
ironic contrast between the era’s Norman Rockwell wholesomeness and the savagery of the
prosecutions for homosexuality. The play is remarkably well cast with performers who look
as though they are truly denizens of their era. In the role of an increasingly appalled
psychiatrist (imported to provide lip service to the clinical value of the mayor’s prosecutions),
understudy Scott Victor Nelson gives his introspective character a searingly haunted quality.
Other moving turns are offered by McDaniel as the oily and bigoted mayor, Kamm as the
destroyed banker, and Melissa Kite as the banker’s equally shattered wife.
-- Paul Birchall --
June 2, 2008
GO! Playwright Gene Franklin Smith’s character-driven drama about gay persecution in the ’
50s avoids politically correct preachiness, and instead conveys a powerful message through
crackling stagecraft. In 1955, Boise, Idaho, is on the brink of becoming a big city, complete
with all the urban troubles and crimes that come with it. Amid this atmosphere of civic
insecurity, 17-year-old hustler Eldon (Westley Thornton, nicely weasely) gets arrested for
lewd behavior — and to save his skin, he publicly names his many clients, sparking a witch
hunt. The subsequent prosecutions spread from child molesters to homosexuals to political
opponents of the town’s Machiavellian mayor (George McDaniel). Caught in the trap is
respected bank vice president Joe Moore (Kris Kamm), who watches as his happy family life
crashes and burns. Director Arturo Castillo’s energetic and taut staging fiercely renders the
ironic contrast between the era’s Norman Rockwell wholesomeness and the savagery of the
prosecutions for homosexuality. The play is remarkably well cast with performers who look
as though they are truly denizens of their era. In the role of an increasingly appalled
psychiatrist (imported to provide lip service to the clinical value of the mayor’s prosecutions),
understudy Scott Victor Nelson gives his introspective character a searingly haunted quality.
Other moving turns are offered by McDaniel as the oily and bigoted mayor, Kamm as the
destroyed banker, and Melissa Kite as the banker’s equally shattered wife.
-- Paul Birchall --
LOS ANGELES TIMES - THE GUIDE
May 19, 2008
America's Dark History Sees Light in 'Boise, U.S.A.'
"The people of Boise tried to 'stamp out' homosexuality. They discovered it couldn't be done. In the learning process, everybody suffered." - CBS
News, 1967
On November 2, 1955, the citizens of Boise, Idaho, woke to headlines screaming about the arrest of three men for infamous crimes against nature. This
marked the beginning of an anti-homosexual witch-hunt that saw dozens of local men jailed, their reputations and lives in tatters. The authorities,
determined to purge the city of "deviant" individuals, created a moral panic, encouraging families to feel threatened by a "ring of predators", and
engendering a climate of accusation and counter-accusation reminiscent of nothing less than Salem in 1692.
One of many so-called "Lavender Scares" of the McCarthy era, which saw thousands of American men and women questioned as closely about their
sexuality as their politics, the situation in Idaho attracted national interest: That December, Time Magazine ran an article about the dangers of the
"homosexual underworld" in Boise. Moral panics, though intense, are usually short-lived. Less than a year later, prosecution cases crumbled through
lack of evidence, and the whole shameful scandal was swept under the carpet of history. But the damage... in terms of life sentences and suicides...
had already been done.
Gene Franklin Smith's new play, Boise, U.S.A., explores the emotional drama behind the headlines. While the Mayor, "Buck" Jones (George McDaniel),
fans the flames of the outcry in the hope of pleasing electors and taking out a couple of political rivals, other citizens, especially the state psychiatrist,
Dr Jack Butler (Seamus Dever), plead for caution and compassion. The lead accuser is a teenage rent boy, Eldon Halverson (Westley Thornton), a
conflicted, sleazy mess of a human being, torn between the desire to manipulate and the need to please. Coached into making accusation after
accusation by the black-hearted former FBI agent, Will Fairchild (Craig Robert Young), Eldon points his finger at some prominent men in town.
The county prosecutor, Blaine Evans (Nic D'Avirro) only needs the flimsiest of evidence to round up citizens on moral charges. One of the accused is
Joe Moore (Kris Kamm), kind-hearted family man and vice bank president. His gradual disintegration under the weight of the allegations forms the heart
of the drama. Eventually, inevitably, even his loyal wife, Doris (Melissa Kite) is forced to condemn her husband. The Mayor is powerless to stop the
conflagration he has created, even when it engulfs his West Point cadet son, Frank (Matty Ferraro), his brother Herbert (Cameron Mitchell, Jr.), and his
daughter, Marjorie (Audrey Moore).
Boise, U.S.A. shines a light on a very shady, but lesser known, aspect of recent history. Its central message, about the dangers of mindless
conformity, is chilling. Yet this is not merely soapbox drama. Arturo Castillo's fluid direction keeps the narrative flowing, and engages the audience in
the anguish of a whole community. Fine performances maintain the focus on the human tragedy at the heart of the scandal; this is not just about
homosexuality, but about the price we pay when we deny the rights and freedoms of others.
Boise, U.S.A provides the kind of thought-provoking live entertainment not usually on offer in LA. I say snap up your tickets now!
-- Sean Borg --
May 19, 2008
America's Dark History Sees Light in 'Boise, U.S.A.'
"The people of Boise tried to 'stamp out' homosexuality. They discovered it couldn't be done. In the learning process, everybody suffered." - CBS
News, 1967
On November 2, 1955, the citizens of Boise, Idaho, woke to headlines screaming about the arrest of three men for infamous crimes against nature. This
marked the beginning of an anti-homosexual witch-hunt that saw dozens of local men jailed, their reputations and lives in tatters. The authorities,
determined to purge the city of "deviant" individuals, created a moral panic, encouraging families to feel threatened by a "ring of predators", and
engendering a climate of accusation and counter-accusation reminiscent of nothing less than Salem in 1692.
One of many so-called "Lavender Scares" of the McCarthy era, which saw thousands of American men and women questioned as closely about their
sexuality as their politics, the situation in Idaho attracted national interest: That December, Time Magazine ran an article about the dangers of the
"homosexual underworld" in Boise. Moral panics, though intense, are usually short-lived. Less than a year later, prosecution cases crumbled through
lack of evidence, and the whole shameful scandal was swept under the carpet of history. But the damage... in terms of life sentences and suicides...
had already been done.
Gene Franklin Smith's new play, Boise, U.S.A., explores the emotional drama behind the headlines. While the Mayor, "Buck" Jones (George McDaniel),
fans the flames of the outcry in the hope of pleasing electors and taking out a couple of political rivals, other citizens, especially the state psychiatrist,
Dr Jack Butler (Seamus Dever), plead for caution and compassion. The lead accuser is a teenage rent boy, Eldon Halverson (Westley Thornton), a
conflicted, sleazy mess of a human being, torn between the desire to manipulate and the need to please. Coached into making accusation after
accusation by the black-hearted former FBI agent, Will Fairchild (Craig Robert Young), Eldon points his finger at some prominent men in town.
The county prosecutor, Blaine Evans (Nic D'Avirro) only needs the flimsiest of evidence to round up citizens on moral charges. One of the accused is
Joe Moore (Kris Kamm), kind-hearted family man and vice bank president. His gradual disintegration under the weight of the allegations forms the heart
of the drama. Eventually, inevitably, even his loyal wife, Doris (Melissa Kite) is forced to condemn her husband. The Mayor is powerless to stop the
conflagration he has created, even when it engulfs his West Point cadet son, Frank (Matty Ferraro), his brother Herbert (Cameron Mitchell, Jr.), and his
daughter, Marjorie (Audrey Moore).
Boise, U.S.A. shines a light on a very shady, but lesser known, aspect of recent history. Its central message, about the dangers of mindless
conformity, is chilling. Yet this is not merely soapbox drama. Arturo Castillo's fluid direction keeps the narrative flowing, and engages the audience in
the anguish of a whole community. Fine performances maintain the focus on the human tragedy at the heart of the scandal; this is not just about
homosexuality, but about the price we pay when we deny the rights and freedoms of others.
Boise, U.S.A provides the kind of thought-provoking live entertainment not usually on offer in LA. I say snap up your tickets now!
-- Sean Borg --
REVIEW PLAYS.COM
June 21, 2008
Near the end of its run, the Matrix enjoyed almost a full house on a Saturday night, proof positive that Boise U.S.A. presented by Salem K Theatre
Company has captured the imagination of the theatre audience.
Let’s begin by giving kudos to the troupe, who performs wonderfully. Especially the two women, who adopt the mentality of the fifties and pull it off in
grand style. Audrey Moore as Marjorie Jones, the wife of Dr. Butler, has a bit more oomph in her attitude, being that Marjorie is the daughter of the
powerful Mayor “Buck” Jones and feels a little more empowered to stand up to her husband. Melissa Kite as Doris, the abnegated wife of Joe Moore
nails the role of a woman caught between her vows of matrimony and the unsettling truth she suddenly faces. Neither woman has easy choices – but
both rise above the circumstances to emerge with dignity.
The story deals with homosexuality. Some would say “perversion”, but a careful line is drawn by playwright Gene Franklin Smith and director Arturo
Castillo, where the character of Dr. Jack Butler, played with some temerity by Scott Victor Nelson, attempts to define the actions of the accused as
anomalies rather than immoralities. It’s Halloween and the police arrest a youth in a dark alley promptly accusing him of “lewd and lascivious” conduct
with another man. Under pressure (perhaps torture?) the youth quickly names names and soon other young men are arrested as Mayor “Buck” Jones
promises to clean up the city. George McDaniel does one of the best blustery fat cat politicians we’ve seen in awhile, and even his charisma can’t
cover up the Mayor’s lust for power. His sidekick Blaine Evans is no better as played by Nic d”Avirro.
In comes Will Fairchild, an FBI man who has a reputation for busting homosexuals (a little like McCarthy and Communists). Fairchild has some unique
ideas and his cigarette theory is a marvel of misplaced logic. Josh T. Ryan captures the essence of the FBI man who is truly a legend in his own mind
and finds it easy to push the boundaries of propriety to prove his case.
Joe Moore, a YMCA coach is among the first men to be arrested and his story becomes the pivot from which all other events flow. Kris Kamm plays
Joe with a mix of courage, guilt, confusion and despair, making the character one of the most heart rendering and poignant in the piece. The questions
that he poses can be asked by some today – the answers will probably still be as muddy, and the misconceptions will continue as long as there are
those who are unable or unwilling to accept the feelings of others.
Soon other arrests are made, with the help of Eldon, the cynical youth who was first arrested. He cooperates with the authorities not just for money
but for the apparent pleasure of bringing others down. The fact that the lawmen go along with him speaks volumes about their integrity. It soon
becomes apparent that many of the men who are being arrested for supposedly participating in sex acts with the teenage boys are the political
enemies of Mayor Jones, and the truth begins to unravel in an uncertain path that is more about personal gain than sexual immorality.
One of the best characters is Uncle Herbert Jones, the Mayor’s brother. Cameron Mitchell Jr. is wonderful in the role of the wealthy black sheep of the
family whose not so secret life has kept him distant from his brother. His connections lead him to discover some important overlooked facts about the
case. It is telling that when serious adversity faces the Mayor, Herbert is the first to rally to the aid of the family as he is willing to forget past
animosities.
In an unexpected plot twist, Frank Jones, the Mayor’s son who is a cadet at West Point, brings a lamentable closure to the sad course of events. Matty
Ferraro gives a brief but gripping portrayal of a troubled youth waging a private war with his feelings and emotions.
More a study in homophobia than a look at child abuse or male prostitution, the overall story provides a fascinating time tunnel to an era where America
feared things that it did not understand and where morality was measured by a yardstick often designed by those who had the most to gain by its
definition. Maybe the ending is a little conventional and the events fold neatly like an origami figure, but it is the kind of play that opens as many
questions as it answers and definitely grabs the attention of even the most discerning theatre patrons.
-- Jose Ruiz --
June 21, 2008
Near the end of its run, the Matrix enjoyed almost a full house on a Saturday night, proof positive that Boise U.S.A. presented by Salem K Theatre
Company has captured the imagination of the theatre audience.
Let’s begin by giving kudos to the troupe, who performs wonderfully. Especially the two women, who adopt the mentality of the fifties and pull it off in
grand style. Audrey Moore as Marjorie Jones, the wife of Dr. Butler, has a bit more oomph in her attitude, being that Marjorie is the daughter of the
powerful Mayor “Buck” Jones and feels a little more empowered to stand up to her husband. Melissa Kite as Doris, the abnegated wife of Joe Moore
nails the role of a woman caught between her vows of matrimony and the unsettling truth she suddenly faces. Neither woman has easy choices – but
both rise above the circumstances to emerge with dignity.
The story deals with homosexuality. Some would say “perversion”, but a careful line is drawn by playwright Gene Franklin Smith and director Arturo
Castillo, where the character of Dr. Jack Butler, played with some temerity by Scott Victor Nelson, attempts to define the actions of the accused as
anomalies rather than immoralities. It’s Halloween and the police arrest a youth in a dark alley promptly accusing him of “lewd and lascivious” conduct
with another man. Under pressure (perhaps torture?) the youth quickly names names and soon other young men are arrested as Mayor “Buck” Jones
promises to clean up the city. George McDaniel does one of the best blustery fat cat politicians we’ve seen in awhile, and even his charisma can’t
cover up the Mayor’s lust for power. His sidekick Blaine Evans is no better as played by Nic d”Avirro.
In comes Will Fairchild, an FBI man who has a reputation for busting homosexuals (a little like McCarthy and Communists). Fairchild has some unique
ideas and his cigarette theory is a marvel of misplaced logic. Josh T. Ryan captures the essence of the FBI man who is truly a legend in his own mind
and finds it easy to push the boundaries of propriety to prove his case.
Joe Moore, a YMCA coach is among the first men to be arrested and his story becomes the pivot from which all other events flow. Kris Kamm plays
Joe with a mix of courage, guilt, confusion and despair, making the character one of the most heart rendering and poignant in the piece. The questions
that he poses can be asked by some today – the answers will probably still be as muddy, and the misconceptions will continue as long as there are
those who are unable or unwilling to accept the feelings of others.
Soon other arrests are made, with the help of Eldon, the cynical youth who was first arrested. He cooperates with the authorities not just for money
but for the apparent pleasure of bringing others down. The fact that the lawmen go along with him speaks volumes about their integrity. It soon
becomes apparent that many of the men who are being arrested for supposedly participating in sex acts with the teenage boys are the political
enemies of Mayor Jones, and the truth begins to unravel in an uncertain path that is more about personal gain than sexual immorality.
One of the best characters is Uncle Herbert Jones, the Mayor’s brother. Cameron Mitchell Jr. is wonderful in the role of the wealthy black sheep of the
family whose not so secret life has kept him distant from his brother. His connections lead him to discover some important overlooked facts about the
case. It is telling that when serious adversity faces the Mayor, Herbert is the first to rally to the aid of the family as he is willing to forget past
animosities.
In an unexpected plot twist, Frank Jones, the Mayor’s son who is a cadet at West Point, brings a lamentable closure to the sad course of events. Matty
Ferraro gives a brief but gripping portrayal of a troubled youth waging a private war with his feelings and emotions.
More a study in homophobia than a look at child abuse or male prostitution, the overall story provides a fascinating time tunnel to an era where America
feared things that it did not understand and where morality was measured by a yardstick often designed by those who had the most to gain by its
definition. Maybe the ending is a little conventional and the events fold neatly like an origami figure, but it is the kind of play that opens as many
questions as it answers and definitely grabs the attention of even the most discerning theatre patrons.
-- Jose Ruiz --
| BOISE, USA |
STAGE HAPPENINGS
It’s hard to imagine what would be worse in 1955. Being a Communist or being gay. Worse still, it didn’t really matter. If you’re one, you may be
the other, and the tar and feathers of public shame are all the same.
Gene Franklin Smith’s gripping new drama tackles the historic witch-hunt in Boise, ID that marred over a dozen reputations, imprisoned several
men on allegations of lewd and lascivious behavior and divided a small-town with suspicion and judgment. Even now, the Boise trials that took place
over fifty years ago are still veiled in silence and hushed tones. Apparently, Salem, MA isn’t the only small town with lots of kindling. It can happen
anywhere and it can happen to anyone. If you’re in Boise and it’s after 10pm, you better know where your sons are.
Because all it takes is one, and that one is oily street hustler Eldon Halverson (Westley Thornton) naming names in exchange for scraps the fuzz
and the Feds offer him in their righteous quest to purge the burgeoning city of undesirables. The witch-hunt fueled by fear and politics finds its way in
every household. Everyone is a suspect until proven innocent. Every man is a threat to children walking down the street. It’s war.
Even though many of the townspeople aren’t quite sure “what gay sex is” they know what isn’t normal needs to be expunged. And if you aren’t
normal, you better act like it as the FBI agent Will Fairchild (Craig Robert Young) sent in supposedly to detect is just an overcompensating “black hearted
cocksucker” called out by the town’s most illustrious, openly gay Herbert Jones (Cameron Mitchell), a contemptuous smoking jacket and martini sipping
brother to none other than the mayor. The plot winds everyone into its web of deceit, shame, and the branding of the scarlet “H” on every unsuspecting
man’s chest. Even the supposed straightest of the straight, a WestPoint hero, have got a couple of kinks in the chain, sparking enmity between
brothers, a father and son, husband and wife.
Caught in the maelstrom of flying accusations is Dr. Jack Butler (Seamus Dever) a psychologist trying to make sense of it all as he interviews
the alleged molesters and deviants within their jail cells. At this time, homosexuality was treated as a “mental disease” – something a little shock therapy
or marrying a good woman could cure, but through his interviews, particularly with well-respected banker Joe Moore (Kris Kamm) Butler finds
compassion and regret for the men whose lives have been ruined. There is a hint of discovery too for Butler’s character, a suggestive acceptance that
homosexuality is not easily defined as Moore recounts his sexual tryst with a fellow solider in WWII and reads Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” in an
attempt to understand what it is to be gay.
Is it an act? Is it a lifestyle? Or is it something far more intangible? A connection either severed in fear or stolen in shame. If every man on some
level is guilty, then what exactly is the crime? Smith raises these questions without spoon feeding any answers. At the heart of the play is the denial
that defines us all. After Moore tries to explain his feelings and his past, his wife shuts him out, admitting “I could’ve lived just fine without the truth.”
The admission of guilt is the ignorance fear breeds.
The last play in the Nina & Rajen Kilachand series at the Salem K Theatre Company is a hard hitter reminiscent of The Crucible and The Laramie
Project. Much in the same way, Boise, U.S.A. connects the accused and the accusers in a sinister smelting pot that is bolstered by more than just
prejudice, it is sustained by personal motives, political agenda and family secrets best left swept under the rug. Director Arturo Castillo vividly recreates
the veneer of perfection while steering the action that reveals the spider web chinks winding throughout. The cast is strong and committed overall,
especially at the end of Act II, but the polish too often smoothes over the raw emotions. Kris Kamm gives a touching complexity as the tortured banker,
George McDaniel and Matty Ferraro are equally heart wrenching as father and son crushed by expectations, and Westley Thornton oozes with a wily
sensuality of a rebel cowboy ala James Dean.
Boise, U.S.A. deserves to be on the map of plays of blacklisting, finger pointing caliber. It is a play to see, if only to remind ourselves that if
everyone knew everything about our lives we’d all be tarred and feathered.
-- M.R. Hunter --
It’s hard to imagine what would be worse in 1955. Being a Communist or being gay. Worse still, it didn’t really matter. If you’re one, you may be
the other, and the tar and feathers of public shame are all the same.
Gene Franklin Smith’s gripping new drama tackles the historic witch-hunt in Boise, ID that marred over a dozen reputations, imprisoned several
men on allegations of lewd and lascivious behavior and divided a small-town with suspicion and judgment. Even now, the Boise trials that took place
over fifty years ago are still veiled in silence and hushed tones. Apparently, Salem, MA isn’t the only small town with lots of kindling. It can happen
anywhere and it can happen to anyone. If you’re in Boise and it’s after 10pm, you better know where your sons are.
Because all it takes is one, and that one is oily street hustler Eldon Halverson (Westley Thornton) naming names in exchange for scraps the fuzz
and the Feds offer him in their righteous quest to purge the burgeoning city of undesirables. The witch-hunt fueled by fear and politics finds its way in
every household. Everyone is a suspect until proven innocent. Every man is a threat to children walking down the street. It’s war.
Even though many of the townspeople aren’t quite sure “what gay sex is” they know what isn’t normal needs to be expunged. And if you aren’t
normal, you better act like it as the FBI agent Will Fairchild (Craig Robert Young) sent in supposedly to detect is just an overcompensating “black hearted
cocksucker” called out by the town’s most illustrious, openly gay Herbert Jones (Cameron Mitchell), a contemptuous smoking jacket and martini sipping
brother to none other than the mayor. The plot winds everyone into its web of deceit, shame, and the branding of the scarlet “H” on every unsuspecting
man’s chest. Even the supposed straightest of the straight, a WestPoint hero, have got a couple of kinks in the chain, sparking enmity between
brothers, a father and son, husband and wife.
Caught in the maelstrom of flying accusations is Dr. Jack Butler (Seamus Dever) a psychologist trying to make sense of it all as he interviews
the alleged molesters and deviants within their jail cells. At this time, homosexuality was treated as a “mental disease” – something a little shock therapy
or marrying a good woman could cure, but through his interviews, particularly with well-respected banker Joe Moore (Kris Kamm) Butler finds
compassion and regret for the men whose lives have been ruined. There is a hint of discovery too for Butler’s character, a suggestive acceptance that
homosexuality is not easily defined as Moore recounts his sexual tryst with a fellow solider in WWII and reads Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” in an
attempt to understand what it is to be gay.
Is it an act? Is it a lifestyle? Or is it something far more intangible? A connection either severed in fear or stolen in shame. If every man on some
level is guilty, then what exactly is the crime? Smith raises these questions without spoon feeding any answers. At the heart of the play is the denial
that defines us all. After Moore tries to explain his feelings and his past, his wife shuts him out, admitting “I could’ve lived just fine without the truth.”
The admission of guilt is the ignorance fear breeds.
The last play in the Nina & Rajen Kilachand series at the Salem K Theatre Company is a hard hitter reminiscent of The Crucible and The Laramie
Project. Much in the same way, Boise, U.S.A. connects the accused and the accusers in a sinister smelting pot that is bolstered by more than just
prejudice, it is sustained by personal motives, political agenda and family secrets best left swept under the rug. Director Arturo Castillo vividly recreates
the veneer of perfection while steering the action that reveals the spider web chinks winding throughout. The cast is strong and committed overall,
especially at the end of Act II, but the polish too often smoothes over the raw emotions. Kris Kamm gives a touching complexity as the tortured banker,
George McDaniel and Matty Ferraro are equally heart wrenching as father and son crushed by expectations, and Westley Thornton oozes with a wily
sensuality of a rebel cowboy ala James Dean.
Boise, U.S.A. deserves to be on the map of plays of blacklisting, finger pointing caliber. It is a play to see, if only to remind ourselves that if
everyone knew everything about our lives we’d all be tarred and feathered.
-- M.R. Hunter --