‘Trevor the Mil,’ a show about a bullied gay teen that premiered Glene, to open New York

Contents:

• ‘TREVOR’ IS A GAY TEEN ON THE EDGE. LUCKILY, DIANA ROSS IS THERE, TOO.
• ‘TREVOR’ IS A GAY TEEN ON THE EDGE. LUCKILY, DIANA ROSS IS THERE, TOO.ENDLESS LOVE‘TREVOR’ IS A MIL ABOUT A GAY TEEN, BULLIED TO THE POT OF ATTEMPTG SUICI. WHAT SOMETIM LACKS AS A PIECE OF THEATER IS MORE THAN MA UP FOR BY S POWERFUL MSAGE.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED NOV. 11, 2021 9:15AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 10, 2021 10:49PM EST JOAN MARCIN SOME WAYS FEELS ODD AS AN ADULT TO WATCH THE MIL TREVOR: THE MIL, WHICH OPENED TONIGHT NEW YORK (BOOKG TO APRIL 17, 2022 AT STAGE 42). IT SEEMS TONALLY LIKE ’S REALLY AIMED AT CHILDREN OR TEENAGERS, WHOSE WORLD CENTERS. THE PARENTS AND ADULTS LOOM LARGE AS RTOON CUTOUTS, AND THE ACTN TAK PLACE MOSTLY SCHOOL HALLS AND KIDS’ BEDROOMS. FOR A MIL ABOUT A 13-YEAR-OLD GAY KID SIMULTANEOLY TERMEDLY BEG HIMSELF AND SUFFERG SOUL-STROYG HOMOPHOBIA, ALSO HAS A HARD TIME ACTUALLY SAYG BOTH THE THGS OUT LOUD. IT EDG AROUND ALL THE ISSU ’S REALLY ABOUT. THE SUBTLETY IS SUPPOSED TO BE EMBRACG, I GUS, BUT FEELS TRATGLY TIMID. THE MAKERS MAY SAY THEIR SHOW IS SET 1981, AND THGS WERE CERTALY DIFFERENT THEN. BUT THE SHOW IS ABOUT A YOUNG QUEER KID, AND SEEMS TO BE AIMED AT KIDS OF NOW, SO REALLY WOULD BENEF OM BEG MORE BLATANT AND BLUNT. THE MIL IS RIVED OM THE 1995 AMY AWARD-WNG SHORT FILM TREVOR, OM WHICH GREW THE MUCH-VALUED TREVOR PROJECT, THE WORLD’S LARGT SUICI PREVENTN AND CRISIS TERVENTN ANIZATN FOR LGBTQ YOUNG PEOPLE. (THE MIL IS NOT AFFILIATED WH THE NON-PROF.) DPE SOCIAL PROGRS, THE TREVOR PROJECT HELPS YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL BEG ISOLATED, REJECTED, AND BULLIED BEE OF THEIR SEXUAL AND GENR INTI—AND SO IS VALUABLE TO HAVE A STAGE SHOW LIKE TREVOR HIGHLIGHTG AN ONGOG, PIERCG ISSUE. NOTE TO PRODUCERS: GIVEN THE LEVEL OF LEGISLATIVE ATTACKS AIMED AT THEM RIGHT NOW, WOULD BE GOOD TO SEE A SIAR PROJECT FOCED ON TRANS TEENS.MAYBE S MAKERS TEND TREVOR (HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER) TO BE AN ALL-PURPOSE DIFFERENT KID. HE’S VERY MP, SWEET, TELLIGENT, ALREADY OVER THE ABSURD AND NSTRAG WORLD AROUND HIM. BUT WHERE AN ADULT DIENCE MIGHT READ “NFINT GAY KID,” THE MIL REMDS THAT TREVOR ACTUALLY, LIKE MANY PEOPLE (PECIALLY KIDS), IS NOT SURE WHAT HE IS AND SURE AS HELL HASN’T PUT ANY KD OF LABEL ON ANYTHG. HE HASN’T ASSUMED ANY INTY. HAGELBERGER HAS AMAZG ENERGY; HE THROWS HIMSELF AROUND THE STAGE, HE’S FUNNY, SHARP, HE DON’T SUFFER FOOLS. AT THE BEGNG OF THE SHOW, HE DON’T SEEM HOBBLED BY ANGUISH. HIS HERO IS DIANA ROSS, AND THE SHOW’S STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IS BY YASMEEN SULIEMAN PLAYG ROSS AS A DREAM FIGURE, DISPENSG WISDOM VIA SNATCH OF HER SONGS, AND DRSED ONE SEQU-SHIMMERG KNOCKOUT GOWN AFTER ANOTHER BY STUMER MARA BLUMENFELD.TREVOR CHANG AS PROGRS—AND THE NATURE OF THE CHANGE IS DARKER AND MORE DRAMATIC THAN DIENCE MIGHT EXPECT. HE FALLS LOVE AND LT, ALL SMOOSHED TOGETHER, WH THE SCHOOL JOCK PKY (SAMMY DELL), AND AWFULNS ENSU WHEN A UPLE OF MALIGN BULLI SCHEME TO DRIVE HIM OVER THE EDGE.BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POT THE MIL MATAS THE CHEER OF A PEP RALLY WH PUMPED-UP SONGS AND CHOREOGRAPHY, AS TREVOR RALLI THE SCHOOL JOCKS, CLUDG PKY, TO PERFORM A SONG AND DANCE REVUE. AT THIS STAGE, TREVOR AS CHARACTER AND MIL SEEMS TO BE FLYG ABOVE TYPIL BOUNDARI AND CLASSIFITNS, WHOSE QUEERNS IS TRIUMPHANT AND UNFED—AND TRANSFORMATIVE FOR THOSE AROUND HIM. BUT THEN THGS TAKE A TURN, AND WHEN TREVOR’S CSH ON PKY IS REVEALED, AND HE FDS HIMSELF ISOLATED AND TEASED AT SCHOOL, HIS THOUGHTS TURN TO ENDG HIS LIFE.HERE, THE MIL CHANG PLETELY—AND GO TO AN APPOSELY DARK PLACE, HOSPAL BED AND ALL. THERE IS A TOUCHG NVERSATN WH A KD NURSE, AND A FAR TOO HURRIED ROLUTN, WHICH MOST EGREGLY LETS TREVOR’S PERSECUTORS ALMOST PLETELY OFF THE HOOK. AT LEAST LET THE GAY KID HAVE A GOOD OLD-FASHNED REVENGE PLEASE AGAST THE VILLAS, HE DO NOT HAVE TO BE NOBLE ALL THE TIME! “IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN.” IT’S UNRSTANDABLE THAT THE CREATORS OF THE MIL DON’T TAKE THE MIL DOWN THE FULL DARK ROUTE, AND SEE TREVOR END HIS LIFE. THE MSAGE, RIGHTLY, IS THAT LGBTQ KIDS SHOULD, MT, LIVE. BUT ONE WONRS ABOUT THE DRAMATIC AND DIENCE-NONTATNAL POSSIBILI THE MORE BTAL STORY TURN WOULD HAVE YIELD. AS IS, THE SHOW DO NOT ADDRS THE MAGNU OF TREVOR’S ATTEMPT TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE, AND THE BULLYG THAT LED TO . THERE ARE GENERAL DISCSNS ABOUT VALUG YOURSELF, AND EMBRACG SOME KD OF FUTURE. IT IS ALL VERY OPRAH MEETS AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL. THAT IS VALUABLE, OF URSE, AND TREVOR IS RTORED TO HIS NFINT SELF AT THE END, LOOKG AHEAD AND TO H POSSIBILI. SAMMY DELL, LEFT CENTER, HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER, RIGHT, AND THE PANY OF "TREVOR: THE MIL."JOAN MARC BUT GIVEN THE GRAVY OF THE MIL’S THEM, ALSO TIPTO AROUND THOSE THEM. IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN. IF YOU HAVE SEEN A SHOW LIKE THE BRILLIANT BETIFUL THG ON SCREEN AND STAGE, WHICH TACKL SIAR THEM, YOU FEEL THE DRAMATIC LACK TREVOR.MY ADULT DISAPPOTMENT HOW MEEK TREVOR IS AS A SHOW WAS BALANCED BY THE SIGHT OF THE MOM AND DAD ONT OF ME WH THEIR KID, ALL THREE OF THEM ABSOLUTELY ENGROSSED, AND ALSO MOM AND DAD WATCHG THEIR KID FOR THEIR RPONS, AND OCSNALLY SQUEEZG THEIR ARM WH REASSURANCE OR REGNN. THEY WERE NOT ALONE. THERE WERE OTHER FAI AND YOUNG PEOPLE THERE TOO. AND SO MAYBE TREVOR IS DOG SOMETHG FAR MORE IMPORTANT, TERMS OF PROVIDG A SENSE OF BELONGG, OR TREVOR HIMSELF AS A FIGURE ON STAGE SPEAKG VERY DIRECTLY TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE THE SHOW SEEMS TO BE ADDRSG. WHEREVER TREVOR FALLS SHORT AS A PIECE OF THEATER MAY BE MORE THAN OFFSET BY THE GOOD IS DOG. TIM TEEMAN
• ‘TREVOR THE MIL,’ A SHOW ABOUT A BULLIED GAY TEEN THAT PREMIERED GLENE, TO OPEN NEW YORK

‘TREVOR’ IS A GAY TEEN ON THE EDGE. LUCKILY, DIANA ROSS IS THERE, TOO.

Generatns of gay kids grew up lovg mils whout expectg to ever see characters like themselv one of them.

‘TREVOR’ IS A GAY TEEN ON THE EDGE. LUCKILY, DIANA ROSS IS THERE, TOO.ENDLESS LOVE‘TREVOR’ IS A MIL ABOUT A GAY TEEN, BULLIED TO THE POT OF ATTEMPTG SUICI. WHAT SOMETIM LACKS AS A PIECE OF THEATER IS MORE THAN MA UP FOR BY S POWERFUL MSAGE.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED NOV. 11, 2021 9:15AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 10, 2021 10:49PM EST JOAN MARCIN SOME WAYS FEELS ODD AS AN ADULT TO WATCH THE MIL TREVOR: THE MIL, WHICH OPENED TONIGHT NEW YORK (BOOKG TO APRIL 17, 2022 AT STAGE 42). IT SEEMS TONALLY LIKE ’S REALLY AIMED AT CHILDREN OR TEENAGERS, WHOSE WORLD CENTERS. THE PARENTS AND ADULTS LOOM LARGE AS RTOON CUTOUTS, AND THE ACTN TAK PLACE MOSTLY SCHOOL HALLS AND KIDS’ BEDROOMS. FOR A MIL ABOUT A 13-YEAR-OLD GAY KID SIMULTANEOLY TERMEDLY BEG HIMSELF AND SUFFERG SOUL-STROYG HOMOPHOBIA, ALSO HAS A HARD TIME ACTUALLY SAYG BOTH THE THGS OUT LOUD. IT EDG AROUND ALL THE ISSU ’S REALLY ABOUT. THE SUBTLETY IS SUPPOSED TO BE EMBRACG, I GUS, BUT FEELS TRATGLY TIMID. THE MAKERS MAY SAY THEIR SHOW IS SET 1981, AND THGS WERE CERTALY DIFFERENT THEN. BUT THE SHOW IS ABOUT A YOUNG QUEER KID, AND SEEMS TO BE AIMED AT KIDS OF NOW, SO REALLY WOULD BENEF OM BEG MORE BLATANT AND BLUNT. THE MIL IS RIVED OM THE 1995 AMY AWARD-WNG SHORT FILM TREVOR, OM WHICH GREW THE MUCH-VALUED TREVOR PROJECT, THE WORLD’S LARGT SUICI PREVENTN AND CRISIS TERVENTN ANIZATN FOR LGBTQ YOUNG PEOPLE. (THE MIL IS NOT AFFILIATED WH THE NON-PROF.) DPE SOCIAL PROGRS, THE TREVOR PROJECT HELPS YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL BEG ISOLATED, REJECTED, AND BULLIED BEE OF THEIR SEXUAL AND GENR INTI—AND SO IS VALUABLE TO HAVE A STAGE SHOW LIKE TREVOR HIGHLIGHTG AN ONGOG, PIERCG ISSUE. NOTE TO PRODUCERS: GIVEN THE LEVEL OF LEGISLATIVE ATTACKS AIMED AT THEM RIGHT NOW, WOULD BE GOOD TO SEE A SIAR PROJECT FOCED ON TRANS TEENS.MAYBE S MAKERS TEND TREVOR (HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER) TO BE AN ALL-PURPOSE DIFFERENT KID. HE’S VERY MP, SWEET, TELLIGENT, ALREADY OVER THE ABSURD AND NSTRAG WORLD AROUND HIM. BUT WHERE AN ADULT DIENCE MIGHT READ “NFINT GAY KID,” THE MIL REMDS THAT TREVOR ACTUALLY, LIKE MANY PEOPLE (PECIALLY KIDS), IS NOT SURE WHAT HE IS AND SURE AS HELL HASN’T PUT ANY KD OF LABEL ON ANYTHG. HE HASN’T ASSUMED ANY INTY. HAGELBERGER HAS AMAZG ENERGY; HE THROWS HIMSELF AROUND THE STAGE, HE’S FUNNY, SHARP, HE DON’T SUFFER FOOLS. AT THE BEGNG OF THE SHOW, HE DON’T SEEM HOBBLED BY ANGUISH. HIS HERO IS DIANA ROSS, AND THE SHOW’S STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IS BY YASMEEN SULIEMAN PLAYG ROSS AS A DREAM FIGURE, DISPENSG WISDOM VIA SNATCH OF HER SONGS, AND DRSED ONE SEQU-SHIMMERG KNOCKOUT GOWN AFTER ANOTHER BY STUMER MARA BLUMENFELD.TREVOR CHANG AS PROGRS—AND THE NATURE OF THE CHANGE IS DARKER AND MORE DRAMATIC THAN DIENCE MIGHT EXPECT. HE FALLS LOVE AND LT, ALL SMOOSHED TOGETHER, WH THE SCHOOL JOCK PKY (SAMMY DELL), AND AWFULNS ENSU WHEN A UPLE OF MALIGN BULLI SCHEME TO DRIVE HIM OVER THE EDGE.BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POT THE MIL MATAS THE CHEER OF A PEP RALLY WH PUMPED-UP SONGS AND CHOREOGRAPHY, AS TREVOR RALLI THE SCHOOL JOCKS, CLUDG PKY, TO PERFORM A SONG AND DANCE REVUE. AT THIS STAGE, TREVOR AS CHARACTER AND MIL SEEMS TO BE FLYG ABOVE TYPIL BOUNDARI AND CLASSIFITNS, WHOSE QUEERNS IS TRIUMPHANT AND UNFED—AND TRANSFORMATIVE FOR THOSE AROUND HIM. BUT THEN THGS TAKE A TURN, AND WHEN TREVOR’S CSH ON PKY IS REVEALED, AND HE FDS HIMSELF ISOLATED AND TEASED AT SCHOOL, HIS THOUGHTS TURN TO ENDG HIS LIFE.HERE, THE MIL CHANG PLETELY—AND GO TO AN APPOSELY DARK PLACE, HOSPAL BED AND ALL. THERE IS A TOUCHG NVERSATN WH A KD NURSE, AND A FAR TOO HURRIED ROLUTN, WHICH MOST EGREGLY LETS TREVOR’S PERSECUTORS ALMOST PLETELY OFF THE HOOK. AT LEAST LET THE GAY KID HAVE A GOOD OLD-FASHNED REVENGE PLEASE AGAST THE VILLAS, HE DO NOT HAVE TO BE NOBLE ALL THE TIME! “IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN.” IT’S UNRSTANDABLE THAT THE CREATORS OF THE MIL DON’T TAKE THE MIL DOWN THE FULL DARK ROUTE, AND SEE TREVOR END HIS LIFE. THE MSAGE, RIGHTLY, IS THAT LGBTQ KIDS SHOULD, MT, LIVE. BUT ONE WONRS ABOUT THE DRAMATIC AND DIENCE-NONTATNAL POSSIBILI THE MORE BTAL STORY TURN WOULD HAVE YIELD. AS IS, THE SHOW DO NOT ADDRS THE MAGNU OF TREVOR’S ATTEMPT TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE, AND THE BULLYG THAT LED TO . THERE ARE GENERAL DISCSNS ABOUT VALUG YOURSELF, AND EMBRACG SOME KD OF FUTURE. IT IS ALL VERY OPRAH MEETS AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL. THAT IS VALUABLE, OF URSE, AND TREVOR IS RTORED TO HIS NFINT SELF AT THE END, LOOKG AHEAD AND TO H POSSIBILI. SAMMY DELL, LEFT CENTER, HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER, RIGHT, AND THE PANY OF "TREVOR: THE MIL."JOAN MARC BUT GIVEN THE GRAVY OF THE MIL’S THEM, ALSO TIPTO AROUND THOSE THEM. IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN. IF YOU HAVE SEEN A SHOW LIKE THE BRILLIANT BETIFUL THG ON SCREEN AND STAGE, WHICH TACKL SIAR THEM, YOU FEEL THE DRAMATIC LACK TREVOR.MY ADULT DISAPPOTMENT HOW MEEK TREVOR IS AS A SHOW WAS BALANCED BY THE SIGHT OF THE MOM AND DAD ONT OF ME WH THEIR KID, ALL THREE OF THEM ABSOLUTELY ENGROSSED, AND ALSO MOM AND DAD WATCHG THEIR KID FOR THEIR RPONS, AND OCSNALLY SQUEEZG THEIR ARM WH REASSURANCE OR REGNN. THEY WERE NOT ALONE. THERE WERE OTHER FAI AND YOUNG PEOPLE THERE TOO. AND SO MAYBE TREVOR IS DOG SOMETHG FAR MORE IMPORTANT, TERMS OF PROVIDG A SENSE OF BELONGG, OR TREVOR HIMSELF AS A FIGURE ON STAGE SPEAKG VERY DIRECTLY TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE THE SHOW SEEMS TO BE ADDRSG. WHEREVER TREVOR FALLS SHORT AS A PIECE OF THEATER MAY BE MORE THAN OFFSET BY THE GOOD IS DOG. TIM TEEMAN

Lately, that’s been changg: Proto-gay kids feature promently  Fun Home and Billy Ellt, and shows about high school now routely clu LGBTQ teens the mix (Mean Girls, Brg It On, Saved) or even the lead (Bare, Zanna, Don’t!, Everybody’s Talkg About Jamie). AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn this bizarrely cheery adaptatn of the Amy Award-wng film, suici among young gay people prov difficult to sg Klwich/The New York TimThere is no lack of chee, God knows, mils. Based on a 23-mute film of the same name, which won an Amy Award 1995, ’s about a 13-year-old boy who n see only one solutn — suici — to the problem of beg gay a homophobic society.

Through s 24-hour Trevor Lifele and other servic, the nonprof aims to terpt the cycle of hatred and self-hatred that n sometim lead young people stgglg wh siar problems to dire the anizatn and the mil are not affiliated, they do share the same name and the same source: a young gay character Lecne’s one-person show “Word of Mouth.

” Nothg suggts that Trevor (Holn William Hagelberger) will have anythg worse to face the urse of the actn than the general failure of the world to regnize his fabulons is a pilp of gay markers: Trevor is obssed wh Broadway, dance and, above all, Diana Ross, who appears a seri of fantasy sequenc (and spangly outfs by Mara Blumenfeld) to enurage the boy on his journey of self-acceptance. Exactly what he has to accept is apparently hard to say, as the word “gay” occurs only once the script, three-quarters of the way through. Even then, ’s oddly disowned and unidmatic: “Everyone at school is sayg that I’m a gay, ” Trevor tells , doubtfully.

‘TREVOR THE MIL,’ A SHOW ABOUT A BULLIED GAY TEEN THAT PREMIERED GLENE, TO OPEN NEW YORK

The scene between Trevor and a ndy striper, apparently gay himself but old enough to have passed through the tunnel of adolcence, is as ankly and thoughtfully wrten as you wish everythg else a surprise, then, that for the first time the show, the performanc, unr Marc Bni’s otherwise hectic and sk-ep directn, strike real not and adm real feelg? And yet, as I image “Trevor” beg performed for young dienc, perhaps middle schools that even today are scen of vic homophobia, I have to thk the ends jtify the means. But even before The Trevor Project was Trevor, an Osr-wng short film that externalized a young boy’s ternal gay leangs.

The Gist: Trevor is a middle-schooler 1981, obssed wh Diana Ross and alg wh his slow realizatn that he might be gay.

It soon out that Trevor might be homosexual, and he’s shunned and bullied at school, leadg him to an extreme breakg pot. Trevor’s parents are stereotypilly ignorant about their son’s obssn wh Diana Ross and stead choose to foc on the Reagan assassatn attempt; kids at school n wh a mor about Trevor’s sexualy but are almost too nervo to even utter the word; the jocks at school are aaid that dog a dance will make them look homosexual but somehow wearg pk tut as a gag don’t (? The ndy striper who attends to him is assumed to be an olr gay man who is meant to show Trevor that gets better and there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.

It’s difficult to divorce this Pri-month-timed prentatn om the ntext of the stud’s relatnship wh LGBTQ issu, cludg recent clash over Florida’s so-lled “Don’t Say Gay” legislatn – cricized first by employe for beg slow to rpond to their ncerns, then by state officials when the stud fally spoke out.

"Trevor, " told the story of a gay 13-year-old who is bullied bee of his sexualy and then tri to take his own life. Alright, as a gay male I am so sick of this ridiculo over the top portrayal of most gay men.

COMPLETELY stereotypil and ridiculo, I mean aren't most gays tryg to bat beg stereotyped, so why allow to happen movi portrayg ?