review: Confessions of a Mormon Boy

Bare Stage, Bare Chest, Bared Soul

by Ruby Lips June 25^th, 2002
In the New York premier performance of his one man show, Steven Fales drew a well deserved standing ovation after more than ninety minutes of scorching humor, song, and soul baring monologue. Dressed in the black Mormon suit and smile that he mocks, Fales tells the true story of his tormented life of coming out and escaping, or rather being ejected, from the hypocrisy of the all encompassing life in the Church of Latter Day Saints. The story that unfolds is not at all black and white, however; Mr. Fales brilliantly portrays the depths of human complexity of which we all are made. In doing so, he manages to make each member of the audience actually experience what it feels like to be a devout Mormon struggling for years to suppress and ultimately free his true being.

‘Confessions’ is more aptly named than one might at first imagine, for Steven Fales is a compulsive confessor. Throughout his years of torment he faithfully and unfailingly bared his soul to the religious elders whose infallibility he had believed in, but who ultimately cast him out into our outside world for being gay, where he now confesses his pain, suffering, and suffrage. But, his play is more than a mere confession, it is a testimony, a witnessing, of ignorance and intolerance. It is his intention that this play might save other young Mormons, struggling with being gay or lesbian, from the suffering that he endured. Yet, also, the play is much more than an important educational affirmation for emergent queer youth; it is a poignant part of the GLBT history which we all share. Far from being alien, one can recognize and identify with so much of what he tells, whether one is a Mormon, a Jew, a Catholic, a Moslem, or a Hindu.

In the course of his young years, Steven accomplished all the ritual milestones of a reverently motivated Mormon; he was a missionary, studied at Brigham Young University (BYU, tattooed on his back), married a woman he loves profoundly to this day, and has beautiful children who mean the world to him. And, along the way, he had sex with men, but only "doctors, lawyers, and cowboys." That sort of segue from indescribably tragic personal agony to commentary eliciting tittering humor is what makes this play so cleverly brilliant. There is also a gay twist to the story that is so incredible that you have to hear it directly from him on the stage in order to believe it. In fact, the details of his experience are what comprise the profound gestalt of his performance. It is well worth attending in order to find out what happened to Steven Fales.

Ahh yes, about the bare chest. I am not inventing prurience for the sake of a sensationalist review. In the poster promoting the show Mr. Fales is portrayed in dual portraits, one in his Sunday suit and the other in his birthday suit, well, bare chested anyway. In the course of the performance he does strip off his shirt dancing to hot disco. And he IS cute! I mean really really cute! He is definitely the all American boy next door. He is someone you’d want to get to know, all kidding aside. One may wonder how he came to be performing his own story. As it happens Mr. Fales is an accomplished actor and singer; his courage, nevertheless, is inspiring. His ‘coming out’ is the personification of the meaning of Pride.

Did he stumble occasionally on his lines? Well, yes, it was opening night after all. But, frankly, he should leave the stumbles in for they only enhance the image of his profound humanity. And that humanity, so openly and honestly illustrated, is what the audience ultimately and overwhelmingly applauds.