Collection Description

This collection includes seven one-act plays: 1920s: ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE, 1930s: THE RIVER JORDAN, 1940s: BILL BATCHELOR ROAD, 1950s: ODD NUMBER, 1960s: FOG, 1970s: FAIRY TALE, 1980s: POUF POSITIVE. UNTOLD DECADES is a unique concept: seven one-act plays, each in a different setting with different characters, which together trace the romantic comedy of gay male love over seven decades of the twentieth century. From the secret sophistication of the international gay scene in the ’20s through such variations as the poverty of the ’30s, wartime revelry of the ’40s, Cold War paranoia of the ’50s, ghetto ritualization in the ’60s, coming of age in the post-liberation ’70s, to the plague-filled ’80s, these plays range widely in style and tone. But all display the deft touch and dazzling insights of a masterful comic mind. 1920s: ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE: A writer and a fan are flattered and embarrassed when acquaintances try to fix them up at a black-tie party. 1930s: THE RIVER JORDAN: To earn a little money Ray goes with rich men but only when sufficiently drunk. His regular client, John-Bo, is giving him up to get married, and John-Bo’s friend Aegis arrives to take him to the wedding rehearsal. Ray persuades Aegis to take him home, and they continue to see each other. But after a trip to Europe together, Ray worries that Aegis will desert him when they arrive in New York. Ray, who still has to get drunk to have sex, has difficulty grasping that Aegis is in love with him and has no intention of letting him go. 1940s: BILL BATCHELOR ROAD: Bill and Bob entertain young troops who are to be sent overseas to fight. They keep photo albums and correspond as often as possible. The young men put down Mrs B Batchelor as next of kin so that Bill and Bob will be notified if they’re killed. When the father of one of the dead soldiers arrives, seeking to discover who Mrs B Batchelor is, he is stunned to learn that his son took part in gay parties and sex. 1950s: ODD NUMBER: Brad and Edgar realize they’re in love. Brad is in the Air Force and has a few months left to serve. An officer arrives at the house, which belongs to a lesbian couple who have been entertaining men from the air base, and the neighbors have reported it. The officer is a closeted gay man and blackmails Brad in return for not reporting him. 1960s: FOG: Fag and Stud meet up in Central Park. Stud describes how when he first arrived in New York as an intellectual he couldn’t find a partner, so he took up body building. Now he can’t find a partner because men are afraid of him. 1970s: FAIRY TALE: Sphinx & Amos, a country-pop duo, are the gay equivalent of Simon & Garfunkel. After their breakup, Sphinx pursued an unsuccessful acting career in Hollywood. Amos has finally had his first solo concert, and Leon, his manager, has arranged a surprise for him afterwards: Sphinx who has seen the error of his ways and wants them to get back together again. 1980s: POUF POSITIVE: Bob, a playwright, tries to cheer up his ex-lover, Robin, who has AIDS. But the only thing it seems that will really cheer Robin up is for Bob to write a funny AIDS play.