'Boys Next Door' opens at Tupelo High School

Oct. 15—The best plays make you laugh, make you cry and — most of all — make you think. "The Boys Next Door" delivers on all three on the Tupelo High School stage.

First produced in 1988, "The Boys Next Door" tells the story of four people with mental and intellectual disabilities who live together in an apartment in Boston. Through the use of vignettes and a series of monologues that break the fourth wall, the play offers humorous insight into their daily lives while at the same time providing touching and at times startling views into the real-world obstacles they face.

The THS production — which opened Thursday, Oct. 15, and continues through Saturday night — boasts a strong cast that brings to life the four residents and social worker Jack Palmer, whose job it is to check in on the four "musketeers" and help them assimilate into "normal" society.

Palmer's story is equally — if not more so — harrowing as he struggles with his own personal issues and the difficulties of helping people who much of society overlooks or, worse, treats with disdain, embarrassment or ridicule.

The play rests solidly on a script by the late-playwright Tom Griffin. There are moments of manic chaos akin to a Neil Simon romp that produce uproarious laughter, along with well placed wordplay and repetitious "catchphrases" that provide more subtle chuckles throughout.

The most dramatic moments are handled deftly, often setup and expected as the narrative hints to them along the way, producing scenes that provide an emotional punch. But it's the slighter dramatic turns, the ones that slide into otherwise innocuous moments that help provide a realistic and empathetic look at the play's core focus — we are more than what we present, more than our abilities and even more than our struggles.

Perhaps the most moving part is a brief sequence in which the character Lucien breaks the fourth wall — and breaks the bounds of disability: "I stand before you, a middle-aged man in an uncomfortable suit, a man whose capacity for rational thought is somewhere between a five-year-old and an oyster. ... I am damaged. I am sick inside from so many hours and days and months and years of confusion, utter and profound confusion."

It comes as a government committee is deciding whether to remove Lucien as a ward of the state and no longer provide for a group home setting, which would turn him out into the world to fend for himself. That such a question is being raised seems ludicrous within the narrative of the play, until you realize that it happens everyday in real life.

Tupelo High School will continue performances at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, and Saturday, Oct. 16.

The show is directed by THS teacher Allana Austin. Cast members include Shelbie Simpson, Dayna Johnson, Xander Hooper, Shelby Seals, Caleb Bowers, Gabby Adams, Laura Layton, Teresita Amador and Ella Hall. Crew members include Marissa Street and Alexa Melton.

Editor's note: The author of this story, Sam R. Hall, has a child involved in the production.

sam.hall@djournal.com

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