Originally Published: February 6, 2020

By: Matthew Lopez

The book of Matthew Lopez’s epic two-part play is sometimes more startling than watching the play as you see the words and can absorb them in your own time.

Inspired by E. M. Forster’s Howards End, the story follows boyfriends Eric and Toby as they get engaged and subsequently have a falling out. Framed before and after the 2016 presidential election, modern fears about being a gay man in America are covered as moments from the AIDS epidemic are relived.

There’s a overwhelming scene in which Morgan speaks with Eric about the AIDS epidemic and clues him into what living through it as a healthy man was like.

A monologue from the sole female character Margaret late in the second part is another one of the outstanding moments that’s worth a second read.

Final say: Brilliant take on gay America. ★★★★★