By Sarah Osman

Considering the determination of the current administration to send America back to the 19th century (or even earlier, perhaps to the Dark Ages), Lavender Men supplies an entertaining — and valuable — history lesson.

Lavender Men, adapted from the play developed by Roger Q. Mason and Lovell Holder. Directed by Lovell Holder. Available to rent/purchase across all major platforms.

From left, First Lady Mary Todd (Gillian Williams), President Abe Lincoln (Ted Rooney), and Elmer (Alex Esola) in Lavender Men. Photo: Matt Plaxco/Entertainment Squad

Gaybraham Lincoln is having a moment. The documentary, Lover of Men, explores the 16th President’s sexuality. In the Broadway play, Oh, Mary, Lincoln exploits his wife, Mary, as a beard in order to hide his sexuality. And now in the film-originally a play-Lavender Men, a lonely stage manager creates a “fantasia” about Lincoln’s gay love affair.

Taffeta (Roger Q. Mason) is the Black, nonbinary, queer stage manager for a small theatre company producing a play about Lincoln. The plot of the entertainment doesn’t matter. For Taffeta, it’s the same old show, night after night. Patrons dismiss them, the cast treats them like a maid, and they’re ignored at the end of every production. After accidentally walking in on one of the play’s male leads – hooking up with one of Taffeta’s Grindr matches – our anti-hero is completely humiliated. To make matters worse, the actor playing Lincoln tries to sexually assault Taffeta. After fighting the guy off, Taffeta wanders out onto the empty stage and summons (in their mind) the late Abe Lincoln (Pete Ploszek) and his gay lover/law clerk Elmer (Alex Esola) to perform a fantasy play in their mind. Lincoln and Elmer are played by the two hot gay men Taffeta walked in on, naturally, because no one wants to watch a frumpy old Lincoln.

Throughout the “fantasia,” Taffeta inserts themselves into the action – as a tree, an army cadet and, in the most poignant of roles, Mary Todd Lincoln. Mary and Taffeta, in their mind, are two kindred souls because both have been lied to, treated as hideous creatures by the men who are supposed to love them. In between scenes, Taffeta reflects on their own life: taunts of their being fat and ugly have led to an eating disorder.

The social message and direction of Lavender Men are compelling. Director Lovell Holder knows exactly when to linger on a character’s face for maximum emotional power. On the one hand, the film is a historical drama that explores what life might have been like for Lincoln. On the other, it examines many of the prejudices non-binary, POC folks face today, especially in the LGBTQ world. Taffeta critiques Lincoln for upholding white supremacy, but they’re also critiquing white dominance on dating apps and in gay bars. Part of what makes Lavender Men effective is that Taffeta comes across as an ordinary human being who simply wants to be loved – there are no hidden talents or fantasy helpmates.

Lavender Men has its limits, particularly because of its modest visual and dramatic scope. Mason and Holder wrote the play together and there are times when they forget that this is intended to be a movie, not a filmed play. During interviews, the two have mentioned that they worked on a shoestring budget. Ok, but why not take more of the “fantasia” outside by moving the camera? Why does all of the action need to take place on stage? Taffeta could easily have imagined a movie rather than a play. The theatrical framework plays havoc with the film’s pacing, which is haphazard at times, skittering from scene to scene. Remaking a stage play into a movie is a formidable creative challenge; it’s easy to slide into the trap of just filming the play. Sadly, Lavender Men makes this misstep far too often.

Still, Lavender Men’s timely and moving story is of use given what is going on politically. Its focus on a POC queer character reminded me of the Tony-Award winning musical, A Strange Loop. The latter revolved around one character, while Lavender Men is more ambitious, using multiple figures (famous and otherwise) to link the past to the present. Considering the determination of the current administration to send America back to the 19th century (or even earlier, perhaps to the Dark Ages), Lavender Men supplies an entertaining – and valuable – history lesson.

Sarah Mina Osman is based in Los Angeles. In addition to the Arts Fuse, her writing can be found in The Huffington Post, Success Magazine, Matador Network, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, and WatchMojo. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is working on her first novel. She has a deep appreciation for sloths and tacos. You can keep up with her on Instagram @SarahMinaOsman and at Bluesky @sarahminaosman.bsky.social.