What I liked
Bubba’s writing does an excellent job of throwing us in the middle of the story. We see a slice of life of not only Billy, but several other characters in the play, including a charismatic and relatable woman, Cindy, who also happened to be a former actress turned sex worker. Bubba does a great job of building characters and moving along the story in a short 45 minutes. The story is balanced, and doesn’t fall into the trap of trying to do or tell too much story in one short act. It all takes place at the clinic, we meet lovable, relatable characters, and the play leaves with open-ended questions (is Cindy okay??). The actress Tai, who played Cindy, was a true standout as well, bringing charisma and relatability to the character. The actor who played Billy did a wonderful job at showing the anxiety and anguish of that first HIV scare in a believable way. All the characters, particularly the woman at the front desk and the nurse (played by Nik), brought life to the surprising moments of humor in Bubba’s script. As a gay man, I left this play feeling seen in a unique way that I haven’t felt seen in media ever before. Bubba’s voice is powerful, relatable, empowering, and contributes beautifully to queer media. Watch out for Bubba Proctor!
What I didn't like
Filling this section out because it’s required lol.
At certain moments, this play succumbs to telling rather than showing. For example, a conversation between Billy and Cindy describing each other’s backstories and what led them to where they are today felt ever so slightly forced. This I see not as a shortcoming of the writing/directing, but a necessary limitation of the medium. In a 45 minute stage play with a limited budget, it is unrealistic to have fully staged scenes showing a backstory, and as a writer you do need to find some way to bring life and context to each character, and sometimes it’s necessary to relay that through dialogue. All in all, while there was maybe a bit too much “telling”, the writing and acting made it feel both natural and believable.
My overall impression
Bubba Proctor’s F3 centers around an experience universal to so many LGBTQ people experience, particularly queer men, yet an experience so absent in media- the first HIV scare. As a queer man watching this play, I was brought back to my first visit to an STD clinic, when I was convinced I had contracted HIV. So many others will relate to this play, and after watching it I’ve realized how much the first visit to an STD clinic is such a coming of age moment for gay men, on par with coming out. Bubba’s writing and directing, and the entire cast’s acting, was impressive and a true pleasure to witness.
