American actor Austin Jennings Boykin brings his darkly funny and brutally honest show A Gay Masseur’s Guide to Happy Endings to Edinburgh Fringe.
“A broke actor in New York turns to “gay massage” to make rent. What follows is a darkly funny, unfiltered descent into sex work, addiction, blurred boundaries and the relentless need to be wanted.
From awkward first clients to a night that spirals out of control, this brutally honest solo show explores intimacy, shame and survival in a world where attention feels like love. How far would you go to feel desired – and what happens when that’s all you know how to be?”
Where: Mint Studio at Greenside @ George Street
When: 7-22 Aug (not 16)
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/a-gay-masseur-s-guide-to-happy-endings
What can you tell us about A Gay Masseur’s Guide to Happy Endings? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
It’s based on my experience working as a gay masseur in Manhattan for well over a decade. And it’s about exactly what you think it’s about – it’s funny and salacious and all those things, but through the writing process, I realized that at its core, it’s about whatever carnal desire made me a performer in the first place.
There’s a public fascination with worker stories, whether that be Anora or Pretty Woman or American Gigolo, but workers themselves rarely have authorship of those narratives. I knew I wanted to do something with my story; I just needed someone to give me the greenlight. And Anna Koppelman, my dramaturg and one of our producers, was the first person I started chipping away at it with.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
This is the story of a raunchy gay masseur, AJ, and an outcall massage gone off the rails. You come for the laughs, the tricks of the trade, and some good ole fashioned skin showing—but after an hour you might be left with something more meaningful and, dare I say it, touching.
Also, though rooted in experience, this is a work of fiction, with events dramatized for the stage!
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? Do you have any particularly memorable moments?
I’ve performed with New York Fringe Festival back when it was in its original form, but this is my first go at Edinburgh. And as of now, I am thrilled to see the risks these artists are taking, along with the enthusiasm for theater. It’s all very hopeful, and exciting, and invigorating.
What are you most looking forward to in Edinburgh?
The money, obviously… just kidding. I’m excited to see some really weird stuff… things more traditional programmers might shy away from, voices I’ve yet to hear from, artists I’m not familiar with. It’s a big world out there, and I’d like to see it all.
What’s next for the show?
Right now, we have some workshops at Provincetown’s Red Room. And that’s Bear Week – which is just great, really great. I can’t say enough how much I love the Bear Community [note: larger, hairier, and masculine gay men]. They’re a remarkably welcoming group of people, and they eat carbs at the beach, which is so self-actualized to me.
After that, we’ll head to Edinburgh, and there have been some discussions about what comes next in terms of a New York run. But it’s also in the early stages of being adapted for film – and while I don’t know exactly what form that will take, most of it depends on budget; I’m excited to see it alive on screen.