Lies, arguments, and new beginnings are all seen in Moraine Valley’s newest play, “BOY.” In the play’s opening Friday night, actors put on a rollercoaster of a performance.
In the play, Moraine Valley Theater Department sets out to tell an emotional story about a boy who was raised as a girl. For 15 years, they were lied to by their parents and for 15 years, they struggled with their identity.
Emma Gomez
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The play opens with a scene of Adam, the protagonist, at 22 years old and identifying as a boy. Throughout the play, we watch Adam grow from a child to an adult. It all starts with him at age 7, back when “he” was a “she” and her name was Samantha. It is a bit confusing at first but when you put the pieces together, it’s inspiring.
Adam eventually meets a woman named Jenny and they begin a relationship. This relationship is beautiful to watch as it’s the first time in 22 years Adam feels seen, as though he’s finally found his place in the world.
As the show progresses, we follow the characters through the ups and downs of their relationship as time passes. The audience gets to experience a whirlwind of emotions and different scenarios that are generally not present in the average day-to-day life.
During the 90-minute play, audience members were captivated and could be seen staring as though their eyes were glued to a screen. The evening was filled with arguments and moments of truth, and never knowing exactly where the next scene would lead.
The play encompasses many different types of issues such as alcoholism with Adam’s dad, Doug, gender identity confusion with Adam, and self insecurity with Jenny. Even Adam’s mother, Trudy, faces conflicting sides early in the storyline when she’s debating on telling Adam (Samantha at the time) the truth regarding their gender.
The cast of Moraine students does an outstanding job capturing the emotions and storylines of each character. One performance that stood out was Jenny, played by Jeannie Oakes. It was very inspiring to watch someone act with such confidence, and in my opinion, she stole the whole show.
The play was well produced and flowed well. Throughout the acts many different props had to be removed or put on the stage and it ran very smoothly and efficiently.
If you’re interested in learning more about Adam’s story, the play will run through March 6, with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights with additional shows at 3:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Tickets for all theater productions are $12 but free for students with a valid school ID. Tickets must be reserved prior to the show and attendees must wear face masks as well as show a vaccine card and photo ID at the entrance.
