Courage, Honesty, and a Departure Lounge

I found the Departure Lounge to be an empowering and hopeful play. It created a safe space for a very important issue within all cultures: male expression. The play allowed for a group of males to express their feelings through song which enables them to gain the courage to speak to each other about what is in their hearts.

Through their interactions, each male character's struggle becomes apparent.

Issues that our society finds taboo are explored through this simplistic, youthful, and modern play. It inspires men to break away from the confines of society. They no longer have to comply with the representation of the tough, stoic, strong, and emotionally suppressed man. The play demonstrates that it is healthy for men to express their feelings to each other before they explode in an unhealthy manner.

The men occupy a liminal state in this departure lounge. They are neither in Spain nor England, which evokes the courage that is needed to breakdown their defense walls; to be vulnerable. While in liminality they are free from the constriction of society's rules on what a man is and how he should behave.

I highly recommend this play to teenagers and adults. The play does not solely reflect on men, but demonstrates the importance of being open and true to one's feelings. One would be surprised at how accepting people can be.

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the play from the acting to the set and finally the emotionally evoking script. The only thing that I could think of that would make the play more enjoyable would be to meet Stephen Fry in the lobby of the theatre…oh wait that happened. I guess that means that the play logs an A+ in my book.

Kyrsten Lew