THEATER
Home Is Where the Healing Is
Epic drama connects queer generations through literary lens
Samuel H. Levine and Andrew Burnap in Matthew Lopez’s “The Inheritance,” directed by Stephen Daldry, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
When a teenaged Matthew
Lopez begged
his mom to drive him
to see the fi lm adaptation
of “Howards End,” he had
no clue that E.M. Forster’s 1910
masterwork would exert such a
profound impact on his adult life.
Some two decades later, he ended
up crafting a play inspired by the
novel that grapples with themes of
family, identity, legacy, and fi nding
one’s place in the world. And how
we thrive when we connect with
others.
Naturally, Lopez put his own
vigorous spin on it by transporting
the crux of the narrative to
modern-day New York. Various
social classes are represented by
different generations and Forster’s
straight characters are now gay
men. Even Forster (played by Paul
Hilton) appears from time to time,
a sage emissary from an earlier era
where being openly gay was unthinkable,
not to mention illegal.
(Forster lived his entire life deep in
the closet, hiding his queer-centric
novel “Maurice” to be published
only after his death.)
Lopez titled the play “The Inheritance”
referencing, among other
things, a pivotal point in “Howards
End” where the titular country
house falls into the hands of Henry
Wilcox, a business tycoon, after his
wife’s death. Never mind that the
house was actually bequeathed to
the novel’s thoughtful protagonist,
Margaret Schlegel, faced with losing
her longtime family manse in
London.
In Lopez’ play, the enchanting
country house is located in upstate
New York and is transferred
to Henry (John Benjamin Hickey,
who won the Best Featured Actor
Tony Award for “The Normal
Heart”) after the death of his longtime
partner, Walter (also played
by Hilton). Eric Glass (Kyle Soller),
ostensibly a stand-in for the Margaret
character, is a starry-eyed
activist confronted with losing the
sprawling rent-controlled apartment
MARC BRENNER
on Manhattan’s Upper West
Side he hoped to inherit from his
grandmother.
Subbing for Margaret’s sentimental
younger sister, Helen, is
Toby Darling (Andrew Burnap),
an impetuous, narcissistic novelist.
Also in Eric’s orbit are Adam, a
conniving actor, and Leo, a downand
out rentboy (both played by
Samuel H. Levine).
Populated with an array of urbane,
vivacious characters, “The
Inheritance” paints an affectionate
albeit messy portrait of contemporary
gay life in New York — a life
that requires visits to the Whitney
and the Strand Book Store, curated
brunches in the Hamptons,
and drug-fueled pool parties in
the Pines. An intriguing parallel to
Forster’s Schlegels and their artsy,
erudite circle in London.
Regrettably, the young men
are largely ignorant of the battles
fought by the generation before
them to secure rights like gay marriage
and medical breakthroughs
like HIV antivirals that they take
for granted. That’s where Henry
and Walter come in, to teach them
essential gay history. The devastation
wrought by the AIDS pandemic
hangs over the play like a
specter.
Inspired by the scope and depth
of the novel, Lopez decided to go for
broke. His drama is of epic proportions,
spanning nearly two centuries
and presented in two parts
for a total of nearly seven hours.
It’s an ambitious elegy of time and
memory that boasts an ensemble
of 14, with most actors playing
multiple roles.
Helmed by the gifted British director
Stephen Daldry (“Billy Elliot,”
“The Hours”), the drama debuted
at the Young Vic in London
and then took up residence at the
Noël Coward Theatre in the West
End, where it enjoyed a sold-out
run. The life-affi rming play dominated
the Oliviers last season,
winning four awards including
Best New Play and Best Director.
Soller won the Best Actor Award.
The Telegraph crowed, “Perhaps
the most important play of the century.”
And now the production has
landed on Broadway, with a few
tweaks. The principal cast members
are reprising their roles, while
the secondary roles have been recast
with American actors. The sole
female character was played by the
one and only Vanessa Redgrave
in London; the Broadway transfer
stars another theater great, Lois
Smith.
Gay City News sat down with
two cast members involved with
the production from the start,
Hickey and Burnap, to parse the
signifi cance of the drama. You
might say that Hickey, born in
1963, represents an older generation
while Burnap, born in 1991,
typifi es a younger generation. Both
currently call New York City home.
Following are edited excerpts from
the conversation.
DAVID KENNERLEY: Congratulations
on the phenomenal
success of “The Inheritance.” How
➤ THE INHERITANCE, continued on p.34
October 10 - October 23, 2 30 019 | GayCityNews.com
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