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Straight White Men

Why see Straight White Men?

Starring Armie Hammer

Obie Award-winning playwright Young Jean Lee returns in 2018 at Broadway's Helen Hayes' Theatre, with her searing black comedy that won over critics both Off-Broadway in 2016, and at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater. Peeling back social privilege and personal identity, Jean Lee's surprisingly conventional play marks a stark departure from her more eclectic efforts such as Church and We're Gonna Die, winning broad praise from critics across the Big Apple. Starring Kate Bornstein, Josh Charles, Ty Defoe, and Armie Hammer, who combined have a mass collection of awards and nominations.

What is it about?

Meet family patriarch Ed. Hosting his three adult sons over the Christmas holidays, they all revel in acting like the men they wish to be; trash-talking, drinking, playing tricks on each other and consuming copious amounts of Chinese takeout food. However their happy revelry comes to an abrupt end when their conversations move to something more serious; the question of their success as straight white males and the privilege their late, liberal mother encouraged them to recognize from an early age. Rather than riduculing the characters, Jean Lee's sympathetic exploration of masculinity asks us to walk in their shoes.

In a world where white men are increasingly being asked to sit down, quit mansplaining, manspreading and generally shut up, this carefully balanced study of a loving family of said men recognizes that it isn't as straightforward as on paper, whilst portraying a genuinely positive collection of likeable relatives, something that is often lacking from the stage.

Key Information

Audience

Suitable for ages 13+

Run Time

90 minutes, with no intermission

Dates

Finished Sep 9, 2018

Cast

Armie Hammer as Drew
Stephen Payne as Ed
Josh Charles as Jake
Kate Bornstein as Person in Charge #1
Ty Defoe as Person in Charge #2
Paul Scheneider as Matt

Creative

Young Jean Lee (Playwright)
Anna D. Shapiro (Director)

Reviews

Customer reviews

6 reviews, average rating: (2.2 Stars)

Paul502

Very relevant for our times

This play deals, very insightfully, with the lives of three straight white men born into a liberal upper-middle class family in which their parents taught them to be aware of their white male privilege. Mother, it's revealed, reinvented Monopoly and called it Privilege. All three men become successful in their chosen fields. But, the oldest son Matt recently left his career for a job making copies for a not-for-profit earning him minimum wage. "They need me." "I want to be of use." He says to his exasperated brothers. The central transition in the play comes when he sobs uncontrollably at the dinner table. Why is he crying? This plays deals with the plight of the socially liberal straight white man who's "woke" but helpless in the face of the gifts of raging capitalism. Will I pass up this opportunity for success because I've been given a boost up by the society in which I was born? Two brothers say no. One brother says yes. The play ends with him alone on stage. We're left to wonder. ... Read more

abcd

straight white men

I wanted to see straight white men because of the recent movie armie hammer made it got me so interest that I wanted to see more of him in the play. as I got good seat 6th row in the center not too prices The play becames a story that can happen to any family in reality The play itself became quite moving showing the way brother find ways of teasing one another and they try to tease back by showing how much affection they have for each other by expressing in there own way and how quickly they don't there behaviour ... Read more
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