By Chris Struck***Stupid Boring Straight People surprised me in a good way, moving quickly towards the most awkward, cringe-worthy and yet relatable laughs. By putting not just relationships but the strangeness of modern dating on blast, the perceptive young writer, Seth Barnes, fashioned something better than therapy for understanding your relationship issues.
The show successfully relied on the tension and drama of interconnected romantic relationships in a friends group. It delivered plenty of moments where you didn’t want to laugh but couldn’t help it, alongside moments of deep, personal reflection. None of the characters had a perfect partner, and so in discovering their faults, as well as how they complimented their counterparts, made each scene a unique and relatable journey.
Four separate scenes presented a breakthrough conversation between a specific couple, beginning at a Halloween party, involving all the actors. Each subsequent scene came alive through the talented cast who made each character completely different, brilliantly creating nuance through fun, playful chemistry. Part of the intrigue came from outstanding dialogue—with some truly unhinged lines, yet delivered with exactly what was needed, be it with ferocity or softness. Direction by Elena Cramer was an apt guide for lines such as, “I’ll just manifest my fish back to life, and I’ll manifest this stupid zit off my back” and “I’m a social butterfly. I said that, okay? I am fucking genuine.”
The ensemble work of the group was masterful. I was able to laugh at myself and nod at the insights I gained. While there was a satisfying amount of playing time in Stupid Boring Straight People, I could have watched more if there was more to watch. The four couples were that interesting, with their connections interwoven in creative ways. There were the two guys who used to play Warhammer together, for example and the three girls who were on student government together and stayed in touch. Toward the end of the show, one of the characters declared the friends group was near its end; it felt so true and also like a bummer.
Despite being realistic and neatly self-contained, some aspects of the play were questionable. I wondered at the awkwardness of inviting eight friends—four guys and four girls—together for one party. Into the scene, the action began to feel circumstantial without a more meaningful context surrounding the four couples. As the scenes played out, the atmosphere of the party began to constrict, despite differentiation in each scene. Yet, especially in the last scene, Stupid Boring Straight People did deepen on an emotional and philosophical level, allowing us to examine how the twists and turns of our own relationships.
Every scene is a blend of cringe and hilarity, which lends itself to the philosophy of “just do something because doing nothing isn’t interesting.” And the stuff these four couples get up to certainly qualifies as interesting.
Stupid Boring Straight People is at the Players Loft Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, New York, NY, through Sunday, April 21. For more information and tickets, click here.
