America: Our Better History is showing this weekend at the E.C. Mabie Theatre in the University of Iowa theatre building. If you haven't seen the posters around campus then become informed.
It all starts on election night in the not so distant past. Six gay men in Minnesota are watching President Barack Obama become elected. There is Martin (Kjai Block) who is hosting the party but is constantly in and out fighting with his former Iraqi soldier boyfriend Aden (David Hoffman). While Aden was in Iraq Martin had an affair with his Obama campaign partner (Chase Bottorff) which he thinks is hidden from Aden, but it turns out he has known all along. Inside is Scott (David Wheeler), the youngest gay man of the group, Harold (Andrew Clancey), and Harold's life partner Charles (Soren Olsen). Harold and Charles are a middle aged gay couple that act as the "teachers" of the group, although their attempts are often ignored. While they feel they know more because they survived events such as Stonewall and Harvey Milk, Scott disagrees and says that his generation is dealing with the same hatred every day.
The play mostly functions around the love triangle of Martin, Aden, and Robert. Aden feels that he is excluded from the group because he went to Iraq, something Martin's liberal gay friends cannot understand. He spends the majority of his time outside listening to the birds and feeding ducks until Scott shoots himself in the arm by accident and needs Aden's help. In the same scene Charles get a concussion from a fall (he is a afraid of blood) and Aden punches Martin during a fight. As Charles says, "It's a real hate crime."
The second half of the play takes place during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Scott and Robert are fighting and Harold and Charles are trying to convince Robert to get over Martin, while Scott is trying to convince Martin to share his true feelings with Aden. There are several references to Aretha Franklin's unforgettable hat which calm the scene as Aden and Martin are fighting to save their relationship. Then Martin discovers that Aden has been reactivated and has known for three weeks. Aden says he has been trying to push Martin away so that it would be easier when he dies at war.
An amazing portrayal of an unforgettable night, one that was specifically important to the gay community. They succeeded in electing a black Democrat into office, but as we all remember (and if we don't I will remind you) that at the same time Prop 8 passed and gay marriage was banned in three states. The characters were balanced and I felt that each was truly contributing something to the plot. It was dark at times and humorous, but very real.
Written by Justin Dewey and directed by Tony Meneses.
E.C. Mabie Theatre October 30-31 8 p.m. November 1 2 p.m.
$5 or FREE with a University of Iowa student ID
Running Time: 2 hrs.