Homophobia ... at a theatre?

Last night, my friend Kim and I attended an excellent performance of The Count, a new play by Roger Hedden making its world premiere at Florida Stage in Manalapan. Directed by Lou Tyrrell, whom I had the pleasure of meeting after the show, The Count explores the wide range of emotions inherent in a successful yet dysfunctional family. One of the central relationships in the play -- indeed, the first one the audience sees -- is that of the adult son/elder brother, Michael, and his partner Monty, who have been together for many years. Neither the script, the directing, nor the actors' performances draw any kind of inordinate attention to the fact that it is a gay relationship; it is a committed, longstanding relationship, and that's all that matters.

In one scene, set late at night in Michael and Monty's Houston home, Michael's sister Jane, who is staying at the house for a family celebration, calls the two men downstairs; they had gone to bed a short time earlier. Michael and Monty appear in their pajamas and robes, there is some brief dialogue, and the men go back to bed (offstage).

Okay, that's the setup ...

After last night's performance, Lou and the cast held a "talkback," a discussion that gives the audience a chance to offer comments and questions. Most in the predominately elderly audience (this is south Florida, after all) had great questions and wonderful insight into the rather complex play.

Finally, Lou called on a man who'd had his hand up the entire time. The exchange may be paraphrased thusly:

MAN: I thought the play was very good, but one minor thing, one small scene, offended me.

LOU: I see, sir. What scene was that?

MAN: I understand that the men are gay and all, but when they came downstairs in their robes, I was offended.

LOU (not believing what he just heard): I beg your pardon?

MAN: Yes, it showed, you know, that they had been together, and I don't think we needed to see that. I thought it was offensive.

[Laughter and murmuring from audience and cast alike.]

LOU (realizing the man's point but not believing it): What would you have had them do instead, sir?

MAN: I would have just cut that part out altogether.

LOU (conspicuously upbeat, to the whole audience): Well, that seems like a good place to wrap this up! Thank you all for coming, and goodnight!

Backstage afterwards, no one really could believe that that had actually happened. But, as I remarked more than once to members of the cast and crew, "I'm sure that guy's a Huckabee voter."

Indeed, they walk among us.