by Sarah Rae
Staff Writer

The Drama Department at SCC is off to an active start this quarter, with a fresh and bitingly dark comedy in the works.

“Boy’s Life”, by Howard Korder, is a fast-paced, quick-witted satire about three college buddies; their lives, and sex lives, postgraduation. We watch our cynical, hetero protagonists struggling to grow up through a sequence of quick vignettes. Jack is a sneering young husband, father and habitual adulterer. Phil is a brooding, emo, date-rapist type whose silly melodrama makes him difficult for those around him. Then we have Don, who appears to be the most mature of the three, although he cavalierly risks sabotaging his relationship with a woman who loves him just to see if he can.

While the relationships the male characters have with one another are the focal point of this postmodern comedy, their relationships with the women in their lives are at the core of the story as well.

At best, the play’s dialogue is snappy, frank and sarcastic, including discussions of marginally important yet entertaining cultural issues. At worst it can be superficial, chauvinistic and, at times, offensive and judgmental. While the female characters hold their own against their disingenuous male counterparts, they are generally portrayed negatively and in an antagonistic manor.

In general, “Boy’s Life” is a witty coming-of-age story and an interesting and humorous portrayal of the battle of the sexes. If watching ostensible males get drunk, get stoned and ruthlessly stoop to new depths in an attempt to bed many women sounds like your brand of entertainment then “Boy’s Life” just might be for you. It was actually nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

Boy’s Life opens March 7 and will run on March 8, 13, 14 and 15.