If you desire to see the oddest preshow at a Broadway house, then Straight White Men should be on your list. The music is thump, thump, thump party loud. A woman apologizes to audience members and hands out earplugs if you want them. The elderly folk seem annoyed. The woman promises that the music will turn off at the start of the play and will never come back on but the reason it’s playing so loud will make sense. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you the reason. It does makes some sense. It has absolutely nothing to do with the play that follows. Odd is the word for this overly forced exercise in lecturing.
Speaking of forced, Straight White Men is about three brothers and a father spending Christmas together. These are the most liberal white men in the history of the universe. Their deceased mother repurposed their Monopoly game as one called “Privilege.” The brothers seem very close and typical familial memories are shared and reenacted. At their age, the physical antics don’t seem entire credible but they are very funny. The comedic part of this play works very effectively. Armie Hammer (Call Me By My Name) and Josh Charles (The Antipodes) are two of the brothers and they deliver top notch laughs. This play works best as a comedic sendup of upper middle class white guys having a jolly time. Older brother Matt’s childhood anthem protesting the all-white casting of Oklahoma at his grade school is truly memorable.
Unfortunately, we have a serious issue lurking not too far under the surface. Matt (Paul Schneider) has taken a life turn and is now living at home with Dad. Everyone is analyzing him out loud. One theory is that he recognizes his white privilege and is purposely setting his career aside so that a non-white individual can have his opportunity in life. Did I say the most liberal family ever? I did indeed. This half of the story is, at best, mildly interesting. At it’s worst, the dialogue is stilted and strains credibility. Did the playwright Young Jean Lee shoot for intellectual farce? The therapy section is played very seriously though so the story turns odd, like the opening preshow. Maybe that’s the connection? Apparently straight white men are imperfect people too so feeling sorry for them is now allowed? Half a really funny play doesn’t quite make up for the other half which is exaggerated baloney.