Octopus

by Steve Yockey

5m / Dark Comedy / Unit set After young couple Kevin and Blake engage in an adventurous and hastily planned night of group sex with the older, more “experienced” Max and Andy, they are left trying to salvage their relationship from a pummeling mix of jealousy, betrayal, telegrams from a soaking wet delivery boy and a ravenous sea monster from the ocean floor. This universal love story rendered through a post-modern gay lens slips from domestic comedy into a darkly fantastic fable examining t

Genres: Plays, Theatre

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2008

Reviews

[Justin Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite as sublime as "Wolves" but this short play is still mesmerizing from the first scene. Yockey's ability to blend supernatural with symbol is breath-taking and unforgettable. The images will haunt you for the rest of your life. I worship him.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book 10 stars and a copy of it to every gay man out there. Exactly what theatre is all about. Using a fantastical situation to create a discussion about a very dark and serious topic.

[Neo Klosterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slayed. It was nice to finally have a LGBT play end with hope and some form of happiness. Even with the heavy themes of the rest of the show.

[Anne Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the anxieties over illness and intimacy are wholly valid in this naturalism-turned-mythological trek into AIDS in the 21st century, the petty domestic squabbles overshadow the fantastical and metaphorical merits of Yockey’s theatrical domestic fable. That being said, I relished the dualistic telegram delivery boy and the final scene that delivered an ounce of redemption to the main couple’s incessant bickering.

[By The Cover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed. A gay play that read to me about anxiety and doubt and how fear can tear a relationship apart.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wondefully visually rich piece of theatre from Yockey. Octopus revolves around the relationship of four men and what happens with that big, ugly sea monster rears its ugly head.