I'm With The Band

ONE LIFE TO LIVE alum Tuc Watkins is ready for his Broadway debut

- Lee Meyer

Tuc Watkins laughs when asked what he’s been up to lately. “Well, I was in a park with my kids, and [Director] Joe Mantello called my cell phone and said, ‘We’re getting The Boys in the Band back together, want to be in the band?’ so I put my kids in the minivan and drove to rehearsal!” he says cheekily.

The Boys in the Band, by Mart Crowley, tells the story of a group of gay men in the 1960s, pre-AIDS, who meet in a Manhattan apartment for a friend’s birthday. As the booze flows, the atmosphere becomes more and more toxic, and the men are forced to face their own inner turmoil. Watkins portrays Hank, who is divorcing his wife to be with his boyfriend, Larry, played by The Book Of Mormon’s Andrew Rannells.

Crowley’s play is considered a seminal work for its serious themes and unflinching look at gay life. Watkins, who is openly gay, feels that a modern production is very important, even though the drama takes place in the past. “I don’t think we can celebrate how far we’ve come without acknowledging what we overcame to get here,” Watkins says. “We have to own our past; countries have to look at their history in order to not repeat it, and so do we as members of a minority.”