Review: In STRAIGHT, a New Generation Tackles Tough Questions About Sexuality and Identity, at triangle productions!

If you read the headlines, it seems like we may be on the brink of a post-equality era, at least as far as sexuality and identity go. A 2017 GLAAD study found that 20% of people aged 18-34 identified as LGBTQ and that many are eschewing the traditional binaries of gay/straight and man/woman altogether. The younger generation appears even more fluid -- in one survey, less than half of Gen Z identified as "exclusively heterosexual."

But does that mean the struggle is over? Have the younger generations really been able to shrug off the guilt and shame that has long been associated with coming out?

Not that easily, according to Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola's STRAIGHT, now playing at triangle productions! While Millennials may give lip service to acceptance, this powerful and thought-provoking play suggests that they still have some work to do when it comes to accepting themselves as something other than "exclusively heterosexual."

STRAIGHT focuses on Ben, a 26-year-old investment banker with a six-figure income and a devoted girlfriend who's ready for marriage and children, or at least to move in together. Although they clearly love each other and have a relationship that's enviable in many ways, Emily doesn't fulfill all of Ben's needs. So, he uses a dating app and finds Chris, a 20-year-old college student. As Ben and Chris's clandestine relationship deepens, Ben wrestles with how he identifies and what he wants his life to look like.

I thought STRAIGHT was among the best shows I've seen at triangle. The script places the characters on the knife's edge between adolescence and adulthood, and the three young actors -- Zachary Taylor Warner as Ben, Jennie Spector as Emily, and Colin Kane as Chris -- do a great job of walking this edge and wrestling with their characters' complex emotions with both humor and insight.

This show isn't for everyone (note: it contains sexual situations, and children under 18 aren't admitted unless they're accompanied by an adult). But if you're interested in discussions of sexuality and society, or just want to know what issues young people are dealing with today, then it's for you.

STRAIGHT runs through March 23. More details and tickets here.

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