Three post-college buddies refuse to grow up and can’t commit to women. Is this Adam Sandler’s next goofball comedy? Neigh, it’s Howard Korder’s “Boys’ Life.”
The Pulitzer-nominated play mainly takes place in everyman Don’s (Landon Nagel) apartment. His two best friends are the manipulative Jack (a charismatic Joe Carlson), and slacker Phil (Andrew Donnelly).
Jack is a married man with a kid who deals with his disappointment in life by hanging out late with his old college buddies and pressuring them to do what he wants. Don is a man with a revolving door of women in his life, settling on one not because he actually seems to like her, but because she seems different from the rest. Phil is a slob, who mirrors Don by pursuing a relationship with a woman who doesn’t want one and then wonders why it inevitably fails.
The superb script has these men dealing with their own failures and realizations about life, while at the same time not being over-dramatic or throwing any cheap punches. Between goofy anecdotes and one-night-stands with people of questionable mental health, the characters and their exploits are easily relatable and likable.
The acting on all fronts is excellent, whether it’s the bug-eyed witticisms of Jack, the clueless facial expressions of Don or the slovenly understatements of Phil. The accurate set looks like it could be your best friend’s place in Oregon Hill. The play moves along swiftly, and works well for a generation raised on the Internet and “Arrested Development.”
The only fault with the play is in its ending. Where the script makes a point of balancing dramatics and levity, it suddenly nose dives at the end and becomes extremely depressing.
The play focuses on life’s disappointments and these men’s inability to express any deep sentiments, even between each other. That isn’t to say the play is not funny or extremely entertaining, but it’s not exactly “Billy Madison” either.
‘Boys’ Life’ runs Thursdays through Sundays at the Firehouse Theatre Project until Oct. 3. Tickets are $10 for students and $25 for non-students. Sunday showings are “pay what you can.”