Straight White Men

at the Mikro Horn Theater

*Final Performance: Saturday, January 18
The quirky comedy“Straight White Men,” written by American playwright and director Young Jean Lee, who has roots in South Korea, premieres on the stage of the Mikro Horn Theater on October 2, directed by Kirk Karali.

With ironic humor and satire aimed at the timeless truths that define the lives of white heterosexual men in the Western world, the restless Asian-American creator has crafted a work featuring three heroic men and one less-than-heroic one. Because at some point, even privileges become unbearable.

What is it that defines the privileged man? His money? His reputation? His education? His “cunning” maneuvers for career advancement? The way he lives? His tasteless “jokes”? The familiar and unremarkable “masculine” traits we recognize from childhood and encounter again later in our adult lives?

Even today, every white heterosexual man is very often called upon to support all of this. But what if his soul can’t bear it? What if his very being rebels? What if he can’t cope? How much, ultimately, does the patriarchal society that gave birth to him put pressure on him as well?

The project explores the psychology of contemporary white heterosexual men and seeks, with the encouragement of two members of the LGBTQI+ community, to help us empathize with them and perhaps even love them.

The story:

Christmas. A day for family gatherings—big and small—filled with love, confessions, hugs, arguments, and revelations.

Three brothers: Aris (Thodoris Antoniadis), the eldest, who has great potential but is currently taking care of the household; Andreas (Alexandros Perros), the middle brother, a recently divorced financier who spends most of his time in London, and Spyros (Yiannis Poimenidis), the youngest, a professor and successful author, spend the holidays at the home of their father, Giorgos (Kostas Xykominos).

They talk, argue, eat, laugh, dance, tease each other, fight, and ultimately end up patting each other on the back. Their privileges. Their luck. Everyone except one. The one least receptive to the dictates of patriarchy.

At the start of the performance, the audience is welcomed by two members of the LGBTQI+ community. The playwright gives them the dramatic space to relate to the main part of the play without being directly involved. She invites us to observe, alongside them, the characters labeled “straight white men,” in the hope that we might come to understand them. And if, between the acts of the play, they feel comfortable sharing with us thoughts from their own world—where privileges are clearly scarce and you have to be brave to move forward—so much the better. Melina Natsiou, a trans woman, and Themis Theocharoglou, who gradually transforms into his drag persona Holly Grace, are there to hold our hands on this journey.

Set against the backdrop of a family comedy, what emerges—as is always the case in such moments—is a small tragedy: the existential crisis of a young person—even a young man—within our current, suffocatingly patriarchal society.