Review: The Ruling

Sacramento’s only LGBT theater company, Closet Door, is closing its first season with a new play, The Ruling, by playwright Tom Swanner.

The one-act play is set at an LGBT community center awaiting the announcement of the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality. When Swanner began to write this play, the this summer’s landmark decision had not yet been announced and the resulting work reflects the hopes and fears of not only the group as they await the big moment, but the playwright as well.

It’s difficult to understand the audience for which Swanner intended to write. Presumably the audience will be primarily gay, yet the play is rife with every gay cliché in the book and the cast is a mix of stereotypical gay characters, like the liberal loudmouth and his boyfriend, a transgender man; the loud, bossy lesbian; a druggie; a PFLAG mom turned activist and, most notably, a right-wing protester with an estranged daughter, who, due to an injury, is sequestered with the eclectic crew while they wait for the decision to be announced. (This latter character quickly loses credibility as he spends most of the show sitting quietly, saying nothing, after a bombastic introduction.)

The show picks up steam toward the end, however, with a conclusion that brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience. And, of course, Judy Garland singing “Over the Rainbow.”