In Bed With Roy Cohn

All I knew about Roy Cohn is that he was an instrumental person during the Red Scare. I didn’t know he was a Jewish homosexual person who hated Jews and homosexuals. And he was into cocaine which might explain why the play was a bit trippy. I didn’t know he was trying to hide his homosexuality by having an affair with Barbara Walters, at least that is what I learned from this play. The play is quite abstract for me because of the way the stories were told, as if on drugs. It’s definitely not for everyone. There was a lady on the elevator with me after the show who thought the show was «2-​hours of torture» for her. Personally I liked the disco scenes, that was fun. And I liked how the actors used the entire theatre as their stage set including in the aisles etc. but it was just too weird for me.

Infamous Roy Cohn, whose death bed dying days receives the Jacob’s Ladder treatment via acid trip in this multifaceted production written by Joan Beber.
Roy was instrumental in the McCarthy era’s campaign against communism and the deaths of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg for a controversial charge of treason against the US. Also, perhaps not as publicized or studied by historians was his involvement in the «Lavender Scare», where many government workers were fired for suspicion of homosexuality and the information was used to blackmail many closeted homosexuals. All the while, Roy was rumored to be a closeted homosexual himself dying of AIDS in the mid 80s.
Obviously the stuff of comedy! Well, more precisely, the play bills itself as a «serious comedy» a contradictory term that matches the man’s life of contradiction. it takes place on his death bed where insights of his life are told through trippy flashbacks and tortured hallucinogenic scenes. Although the play portrays Roy as an individual seemingly in perpetual delusional crisis it is difficult to feel any sympathy for a man that was so damaging to so many people’s lives.
In our post ⁹⁄₁₁ world, it is difficult for younger generations to understand the threat of communism, but it is easy to see parallels to today’s world of our society under constant threat of terrorism from various groups that are different from «us». Obviously it doesn’t take much to still see people’s fear of homosexuals with the discrimination they still face. Roy Cohn, someone prominent in the 50s and dying in 80s still seems quite relevant today.
With so much action going on in the play — quick changing visual projections and props, fast paced acting with actors breaking the «fourth wall» by running and standing throughout the theater I felt that the show did well at not crossing the line into complete ridiculousness. In Bed With Roy Cohn left with me lasting visuals and a desire to learn more about his life in the context of how so much hatred and repression can damage the individual, or more importantly society as a whole.

In Bed with Roy Cohn is a new Off-​Broadway production. The preview date was August 25^th, 2015. The official opening date will be September 2^nd, 2015. Closing date is October 3^rd, 2015. Production running time is approximately 85 minutes without intermission. Ticket price is $ 56.25 — $ 66.25.
I had the privilege to watch this show with some Unilocal friends before the official opening date. Roy Marcus Cohn was an attorney who gained prominence during Senator McCarthy’s investigations into communist activity and the Army-​McCarthy hearings in 1954. He befriended Barbara Walters and Ronald Reagan during his lifetime. This show examines Roy’s friendships and relationships with his mom, housekeeper, lover, Julius Rosenberg, as well as Walters and Reagan.
We were let in the theater about 10 minutes prior to the show’s starting time. Bathroom is located upstairs on the second floor and is very clean. They also have some snacks and beer/​wine upstairs in the lounge area. The Lion Theater is an intimate theater. It looks like it would fit about 50 people or so. The crews fully utilize the aisle space and incorporate them as part of the show.
This production’s headline is «a serious end-​of-​life comedy about one of the most enigmatic and controversial men in American history.» After watching it, I would say its seriousness definitely outweigh its comedy effects. There were some audience chuckling here and there. But it is hard to justify it as a comedy from the audiences’ reactions. Because I don’t know too much about Cohn, there were times where I was confused about what I was seeing on stage. I think the actors all did a great job. Definitely an interesting way to spend your afternoon/​evening. I would recommend this show to people who are familiar with that point of history and/​or Cohn.

If you know who Roy is this play would be entertaining.
If you are a fan of history and the McCarthy era you would like this play.
Roy Cohn was the right-​hand man of Joseph McCarthy who is famous for McCarthyism; the practice in the 1950’s of making the reckless accusations of subversion or treason charges against thousands of Americans.
The play covers the last moments of Roy Cohn’s life as he is haunted by past characters in his life.
The final phase of Roy’s life have previously been portrayed by Al Pacino at Cohn in Angels in America on Broadway in 2010 at the Signature Theatre.