Rome. Power. Queer Desire. Chicago Gets Scandalous Boy.

If we are all totally honest wth ourselves, there are very few gay men who wouldn’t like the whole idea of being with a scandalous boy. It is after all  hardly a new concept as the one who is featured in a new play is about the intoxicating most famous queer relationship in Roman history between Emperor Hadrian and his teen lover Antinous  in about 100 AD.

Written by acclaimed Australian playwright David Atfield, this political drama at Open Space Arts meets queer coming-of-age meets mythic love story—served hot and intimate for just 25 audience members a night. This daring reimagining of ancient queer love and modern power dynamics features bold performances from rising stars in Chicago theater Directed by Benjamin Mills, Scandalous Boy blends camp, poetry, and raw emotion in a 90-minute sprint through love, loss, and legacy.