STRAIGHT WHITE MEN

About the show

Written by playwright Young Jean Lee, Straight White Men is a satirical, compassionate play that follows an aging widower and his three adult sons during a Christmas Eve gathering. It challenges traditional views of masculinity and privilege as the family is forced to confront what happens when the most privileged demographic faces an identity crisis. The brothers gather for the holidays playing frat-boy pranks and eating takeout. However, the playful facade shatters when they notice the eldest brother (a brilliant, overqualified Harvard graduate working a dead-end temp job) is quietly weeping, prompting the others to awkwardly attempt to "solve" him. The play is introduced by non-binary, gender-fluid characters known as the "Persons in Charge". They frame the show as a sort of sociological exhibit or observation lab, literally moving the actors between scenes and challenging the audience to view straight white male culture as a distinct, observable identity.