Program Notes

"The Boys Next Door" Program Notes

Have you ever wondered what the daily struggles and tribulations of the mentally handicapped really are? Have you often watched from a far as you can see the simple things in life bringing joy to these people? We all have, and with the help of Tom Griffin we will have the chance to glimpse inside the mind of four men living together under special circumstances and how the cope with struggles that anyone would find difficult. As the show progresses so do the characters and we as a cast invite you on the magnificence that “The Boys Next Door” bring to the show and the world as a whole.

This show displays four men with different disabilities living together as a part of an agreement and the setting is a group home supervised by Jack a gaunt, graying man who loves the men he cares for but is feeling burnt out by his responsibility to them. First there is Arnold ,whom Jack tells us is "marginal" as far as being retarded, but who is most definitely a nervous, obsessive sort of fellow. Norman high-functioning, works at a doughnut shop and has a sweet crush on Sheila, who is also mentally challenged. Lucien is somewhat less able to function in society, a fact that comes into play when the government mistakenly concludes otherwise and discontinues his Social Security payments.

The show is set in 1985 in Boston Massachusetts during a time when Mentaly Handicaped people were being put in homes because taxes could no longer pay for Mental Hospitals. Only the severally ill were placed in hospitals and those found not suitable for living in society. Both men and women of all disabilities are asked to move into homes with caretakers ( paid for by the state ) and live in apartments complexes to hopefully live normal lives. All in all “The Boys Next Door” are exactly that, they are charming, sweet, and sometimes misunderstood in the most comedic ways. To really enjoy this show you must know the struggles and temptations that these men go through on a day in and day out basis but even then, what’s not to love about four grown men who just enjoy being kids?

To give you more an inside on the Playwright himself I’ll explain some interesting facts about the man who created this heart filled play. Tom Griffin is an American playwright who began his writing in Vermont in the early 1960s as a struggling actor and director. He originally planned to name the show “The Boys Next Door” as “Damaged Hearts and Broken Flowers” but decided the show then sounded too deep. He wrote the show to me a comical but influential reflection on societies view of the critical life of disabled men and their care taker. He won several awards and went on to also write other plays including Amateurs, Einstein and The Polar Bear, Pasta, and Mrs. Sedgewick's head.

With the combination of Mr. Griffins joyful and understanding sides he really brings quite a magnificence to the stage that any audience of any kind will enjoy. We invite you to sit back, and enjoy the world of these four amazing men and live the life that they live on a constant basis however, be ready to laugh and cry along with these characters because they surely do make you want to do both, and enjoy it.