The Boys in the Band is a play by Mart Crowley.[2] The play premiered Off-Broadway in 1968 (directed by Robert Moore, the stage manager was Murray Gitlin), and was revived on Broadway for its 50th anniversary in 2018. The play revolves around a group of gay men who gather for a birthday party in New York City, and was groundbreaking for its portrayal of gay life. The play has been called "a true theatrical game-changer, The Boys in the Band helped spark a revolution by putting gay men's lives onstage, unapologetically and without judgment, in a world that was not yet willing to fully accept them."[3] It was adapted into a feature film in 1970 (directed by William Friedkin), likewise one of the first focusing on the lives of gay men and re-adapted as a 2020 feature film (directed by Joe Mantello), with the 50th anniversary Broadway cast, all of whom are out gay actors.

Cast	1968 (play)	1970 (movie)	2020 (movie)
Director	Robert Moore	William Friedkin	Joe Mantello
Harold celebrates his birthday. In the character's own words an "ugly, pock-marked Jew fairy",[5] he becomes increasingly morose about losing his youthful looks and claims that he no longer can attract cute young men. In the dramatis personae, he is described as being "dark" with an "unusual Semitic face".[6]	Leonard Frey	Leonard Frey	Zachary Quinto
"Cowboy", an attractive blond hustler who is "not too bright"[7] and "too pretty",[6] is one of Harold's birthday presents.	Robert La Tourneaux	Robert La Tourneaux	Charlie Carver
Alan McCarthy, Michael's married college friend[8] and roommate, is an unexpected party guest. He is visiting New York and anxious to tell Michael something, but hesitant to do so in front of the others. It is suggested that he once had homosexual affairs while in college, but his sexual orientation is never explicitly stated, leaving it to audience interpretation. The dramatis personae describes him as "aristocratic" and "Anglo-Saxon".[6]	Peter White	Peter White	Brian Hutchison
Michael is Harold's "smartly groomed"[6] "frenemy",[8] the host, and a lapsed Catholic as well as an alcoholic. He is the catalyst for most of the drama of the play.	Kenneth Nelson	Kenneth Nelson	Jim Parsons
Donald is Michael's conflicted boyfriend who has moved from the city to the Hamptons to spurn the homosexual "lifestyle", and is undergoing psychoanalysis. He has "wholesome American good looks".[6]	Frederick Combs	Frederick Combs	Matt Bomer
Bernard is an African-American librarian who still pines for the wealthy white boy in whose house his mother worked as a maid. In the dramatis personae, he is "Twenty-eight, Negro, nice-looking".[6]	Reuben Greene	Reuben Greene	Michael Benjamin Washington
Emory is a flamboyant and effeminate interior decorator. He is often campy in his sense of humor, which serves to irritate others.	Cliff Gorman	Cliff Gorman	Robin de Jesús
Larry is a commercial artist who prefers multiple sex partners and is "extremely handsome".[6]	Keith Prentice	Keith Prentice	Andrew Rannells
Hank is Larry's live-in boyfriend who has been married to a woman from whom he is separated and is divorcing. He "passes" as straight and disagrees with Larry on the issue of monogamy. Physically, he is described as "solid, athletic, attractive".[6]	Laurence Luckinbill	Laurence Luckinbill	Tuc Watkins

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