This gay version of the love triangle hits you full on from its amazing choreographed naked sex scene to its equivocal ending 90 minutes later.
JOSH is a New York theatre director, his husband Alex a frustrated and uptight research scientist. They are happily married and about to have a baby through surrogacy. As we learn, they have an ‘open’ relationship, and so we see them in the opening scene in a threesome with Darius, a much younger gay masseur.
Accepting the premise that different people want different things from a relationship, playwright S Asher Gelman explores this problem through the actions and words of the three characters. Darius is wary of what he calls “this sex and friendship thing” when Josh decides he wants to see Darius by himself.
Though Alex goes along with this idea, it quickly becomes untenable and threatens to tear his and his husband’s relationship and lives apart.
It’s the Grindr generation dilemma – “so many guys literally at your fingertips – too many guys for a relationship to last”, says Darius. The security he craves from monogamy is the same one he threatens to destroy in the two married men.
The issues are further complicated because Josh, seeking love, affection and affirmation constantly, is unable to get it from his marriage to Alex, who is struggling with his research, often moody and tired when he comes home and therefore often leaving Josh unfulfilled – on a sexual and emotional level.
All this makes the play sound heavyweight drama, but it isn’t. There are plenty of laughs in among the tensions and tears, and all three actors are absolutely brilliant at depicting not only their own foibles but also the innate attraction they know they possess.
Jesse Fox as Darius is terrific as a wide-eyed, naive boy, who is finding his way in the complexities of gay Manhattan. Sean Hart gets Josh’s mood swings perfectly and Danny Mahoney is totally believable as the downcast, hard-done by husband.
Each character is flawed and each character must find his own salvation,
The direction, by Tom O’Brien is taut and in the frequent scene changes, he explores another choreographed physical level to the relationships as the actors bring a level of symbolism to what lies beneath the dialogue.
As Josh tells Darius – and us – “the heart wants what the heart wants.”
If these 3 hearts get it, only you can tell by seeing the play. It is slated for a 7 week run but I bet it will be around in London a lot longer than that.
Afterglow is at the Southwark Playhouse, London, until July 20.
Review by Brian Butler
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