REVIEW: ‘Messy White Gays’ is a hilarious sendup of Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’
Photo: Messy White Gays stars, from left, Derek Chadwick and Drew Droege. Photo courtesy of Marc J. Franklin / Provided by DKC O&M with permission.
NEW YORK — The new comedy Messy White Gays, written by and featuring Drew Droege, continues its run through the New Year at The Duke on 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. The show follows the misguided adventures of Brecken (James Cusati-Moyer) and Caden (Aaron Jackson), two partners who have killed their boyfriend, and now company is coming over to their swanky Central Park apartment. The only option they have is to store the body in a trendy piece of furniture in the middle of the living room.
Cue the hilarity.
If this premise rings familiar, that’s because Alfred Hitchcock used a similar storyline in his classic thriller Rope, which itself was based on a play. As Brecken and Caden’s friends come over, each one must be directed away from the piece of furniture, lest they find out the heinous act that transpired.
The friends include Thacker (Pete Zias) and Addison (Derek Chadwick). They are also paid a visit by the neighbor down the hall, Karl (Droege), who is married to a police officer and can sense something is awry. When the five characters are in the same room together, all hell breaks loose, and the comedic one-liners never stop.
Droege, known for Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, is a masterful writer of biting commentary on a variety of topics, everything from relationships to cancel culture to aging to drugs. His jokes are riotous and never pull punches, with each character saying some zany things as they descend into madness while trying to figure out what to do with the dead body.
Droege is also an excellent actor, and he’s matched perfectly by the comedy chops of Zias, a loyal friend to Brecken and Caden, and someone who falls into a stash of cocaine. As a character, Zias’ Thacker was already someone who was talking fast and causing gut-busting laughs, and when he’s high, there’s no stopping him. It’s a standout performance, for sure. There’s even one point, toward the end of the play, when Zias elicits a ton of laughs simply by making a gesture; no further words are needed.
Chadwick, Cusati-Moyer and Jackson add tons of humor to the piece as well, with each taking his turn in the spotlight. Jackson’s Caden has some funny lines that are in stark contrast to Cusati-Moyer’s Brecken. They disagree when talking about race and political correctness, and it’s obvious their conversations in the past have been a strain on the relationship.
Chadwick’s Addison is the positive one in the group, always seeing the bright side, even after the discovery of the body. He’s also obsessed with his digital footprint and social media follows.
Director Mike Donahue keeps the action moving along at a fast pace, with hardly a second to take a breath in between laughs. This is the type of comedy that needs a breakneck speed, and the director smartly keeps everything moving along. It’s best not to think (or overthink) about the inanity of the situation.
Messy White Gays is not earth-shattering entertainment that moves the dial in any direction. Instead, it’s 80 minutes of pure, unadulterated silliness, poking fun at modern-day relationships, views on aging and monogamy, the life of these gay friends and their neighbor down the hall, and how no matter how bad a situation becomes, it can always get worse.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Messy White Gays, written by Drew Droege and directed by Mike Donahue, stars Droege, Derek Chadwick, Pete Zias, James Cusati-Moyer and Aaron Jackson. Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission. Currently running at The Duke on 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
