Ambiguously Gay Duo

Bartram and Hill,
who met as actors in the original Canadian production
of Forever Plaid in 1993, consider themselves
best friends in addition to partners. Could there be a
similar romantic connection between the characters
they’ve created, or is it just
Broadway’s biggest bromance?

“It’s definitely a love story,” admits
Bartram. “These two guys are soul mates, people
who couldn’t be who they are without each other. We
wanted to make it as simple and as strong as that
without it becoming a typical love story.”

“We’ve specifically written a piece
that’s full of ambiguity,” adds Hill,
“so it’s up to the audience to decide. We want
to raise questions like, 'What was the level of this
relationship?' We’re finding that people come
away from the piece with vastly different opinions, which we
find thrilling. We’ve had people say,
‘That character’s absolutely gay and in
love with that character.’ Other people say,
‘No, that’s not what the relationship
was about at all!’”

But if
anyone’s likely to question the characters’
sexuality in The Story of My Life, both writers
suspect it will be gay theatergoers. “Because
the story’s ambiguous, people tend to apply
their own stories to it,” Bartram explains.
“That helps it connect to all kinds of
individuals.”

While skeptics
may wonder how the little-show-that-could will stack up
against splashier upcoming Broadway saviors like 9
to 5 and revivals of West Side Story and
Guys and Dolls, the creators of The Story of
My Life think the temperature of their musical
perfectly suits our nation’s current sociopolitical
climate.

“The
presidential election was the first real sign that people
feel that something has to change,” says
Bartram. “If there’s any synchronicity
here, it’s that we’ve landed on Broadway in a
time when people are looking for something different.
This show definitely fits the bill.”