- Boys' Life is a full-length comedy by Howard Korder. The play, written as a series of short, sketch-like scenes, tells the story of three buddies from college entering the 'real' world of adulthood where the stakes are higher and the potential mistakes much more serious than when they were kids. But Boys' Life isn't just a guy thing.
- THE MALE ANIMAL - BOYS' LIFE, by Howard Korder; directed by W. Macy; sets by James Wolk; costumes by Donna Zakowska; lighting by Steve Lawnick; sound by Aural Fixation; original music composed.
- Amazon.com: Boys' Life. (Acting Edition for Theater Productions) (403): Howard Korder, Korder, Howard: Books.
Boys Life Monologue
In September 2001, Broken Watch Theatre Company made its Off-Broadway debut with the Off-Broadway Revival of Howard Korder's Boys' Life. The New York press had much to say on our behalf.
“Howard Korder’s BOYS’ LIFE puts sexual insecurity among under-30 males under the comic microscope and the result is a satisfying and thoughtful work by a fresh playwriting voice.” —Variety. “BOYS’ LIFE is the most balanced and intelligent comment on the battle of the sexes I’ve seen in a.
Boys' Life
by Howard Korder
Directed by Drew DeCorleto; sets by J. Wiese; production stage manager, Barrett Hall; assistant set designer, Jito Lee; assistant stage manager, Stephen Brumble; sound editor, Adam Fumia. Presented by Broken Watch Productions Inc.
WITH: Leo Lauer, Andrew J. Hoff, Jeremy Koch, Jeslyn Kelly, Danielle Savin, Alli Steinberg, Matt Walton and Teresa L. Goding. September 4th to September 30, 2001 Opening September 10, 2001
Howard Korder is reputed to be one of the finest modern playwrights. Boys' Life garnered a 1988 Pulitzer Prize nomination. Other plays include Search and Destroy (Los Angeles Drama Critics' Award for best new play); Night Maneuver; Fun (Heideman Award for best one act); Nobody (HBO Writer's Award in the O'Niell Playwrights Conference); The Lights (Seven Drama Desk nominations and an Obie Award for Playwriting). Along with numerous screenplay credits he is the recipient of a 1996 Guggenheim Fellowship in playwriting.
'Foreplay That's So Funny, Sex is Just Superfluous' -NY Times
'The play... is brought to hilarious, sad, vivid life by the spot-on performances of Hoff, Lauer and Koch' -NY Post
'... their enthusiasm can be catching... no question what this cast is up to.' -NY Times
'extracts the core of the play in a brilliant way' -NY Post
'If you want to catch a talented young company, check out Broken Watch Productions' -ARTS BEAT
'Every now and again a play finally finds a group of people who know what it needs.' -NY Post
Boys Life Play
'If this is what they consider broken, then let's hope they never fix it.' -West Side Spirit (Theatre Pick of the Week)
'Designer John Wiese has crafted a visually striking and extraordinarily versatile set.' -West Side Spirit
Boys Life Howard Korder
By F. KATHLEEN FOLEY
FEB 04, 2015
First produced in the late 1980s, Howard Korder's 'Boys' Life' garnered a Pulitzer nomination for its portrait of three disaffected young urban men on the prowl for women.
Jack Stehlin, director of the play's current production at the Asylum Theatre, originated the role of Jack -- the most brutally cynical of the trio -- in an earlier one-act that Korder later incorporated into his full-length play.
Stehlin's enduring affinity for the material is evident in his crisply paced and thoughtful staging.
Unfortunately, Korder couldn't have anticipated the rampant rise of the 'bro' culture, or the flagrant female objectification across all formats, from stage to screen to kiddie beauty pageants. In short, what may have been sociologically incisive some 30 years ago seems a bit toothless today.
Still, Stehlin redresses many of the play's shortcomings in this production, which may lack a certain bite, but which still nibbles the funny bone -- and takes an occasional nip at the heartstrings as well.
The women in the show -- all excellent here -- have been double cast. The men remain the same throughout the run. Brendan Brandt's lonely, whiny Phil is comically clueless, as is Noah James' Don, who yearns for emotional connection but just can't summon the words. Jeff Kongs plays Jack, the king womanizer -- and, ironically, the sole married man among these post-collegiate sad sacks, whose raw need -- and scathing contempt -- for women is both telling and terrifying.
Not to damn with faint praise, but Stehlin has orchestrated the play's frequent scene shifts with the logistical finesse of a field marshal. That may seem a negligible point, but it's really indicative of Stehlin's directorial craft, which is evident on every level of this diverting but slight 'Life.'
'Boys' Life,' the New American Theatre at the Asylum Theatre, 1078 N. Lillian Way, Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Ends March 7. $18. www.NewAmericanTheatre.com Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.