Poor dramaturgy spoils what might have been a good play. Taming the Lion, now in a world premiere at Theater 40, is based on the true story of William “Billy” Haines, a popular movie star in the 1920s and 30s. The handsome Billy was openly and defiantly gay, a fact that distressed his boss, Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM. Fearing that if the truth about Billy’s sexual orientation became public, the company would take a hit at the box office, Mayer (Jeffrey Winner) ordered him to marry a woman. Refuse to obey me and I will cancel your contract with MGM and blacklist you from ever working in the industry again, he tells Billy (expertly played by Landon Beatty). Billy, though, is deeply in love with his male partner Jimmie (Niko Boles) and doesn’t want to lose him. But neither does he want to lose the money and fame that comes with being a Hollywood heartthrob. Billy’s dilemma is the stuff of good drama, but unfortunately it is confronted too late in the play—at the start of the second act. This explains why act one feels so boring and flat; it’s wasted on foreshadowing and exposition. Taming the Lion has been given a slick production by Theatre 40 (and director Melanie MacQueen). Jeff G. Rack’s set, split between Billy’s home, Mayer’s office, and the Brown Derby nightclub, is sumptuous and atmospheric. Costumes, lighting and makeup design are equally authentic and impressive. If only the playwright, Jack Rushen, had matched the look of his play with the impact of it. But unfortunately, he has thinly drawn the other characters here: Joan Crawford (Marie Broderick), Irving Thalberg (Kevin Dulude), and Mayer’s secretary Ida (Jean Mackie). The actors do their best to bring these two-dimensional people to life, with mixed results. Even Mayer, who is essential to the story, comes off as something of a caricature: yet another crude, profane, ruthless Hollywood mogul. Rushen is to be commended for dealing with Billy and Jimmie’s relationship in a bold and touching way, but his mistakes in construction and characterization keep Taming the Lion from achieving success as a drama.
