by Emi Harmon
For this project, I wanted to create a playlist for a few of the characters in the unreleased play by Zoe Senese-Grossberg, “Boy My Greatness.” I felt that using one performance art (music) to look at another (theatre) would be relevant, especially since the play was written recently, as were a good number of the songs I chose. I also found that some of my approaches had few sources on them, so using the playlist as a lens to look at the text was helpful to frame my thinking, as opposed to a standard essay. Specifically, the idea that feminine queer men experience forms of misogyny was one that I struggled very hard to find anything relevant or scholarly on. There was much on gay men being misogynistic (another issue), but I did not find what I was looking for, so I went a different route and found songs that had similar themes instead.
I originally was only going to make a playlist for one or two of the characters, like Hal and Harry in one playlist, but I ended up doing them all, and split them into relationships. For Hal and Harry, and Tom and Samuel, the relationships are romantic; for Robin and John, it’s similar to father and son. I decided to analyze the text and the characters’ relationship dynamics and personal struggles through music, and the thought process behind my choices is explained in my analysis below.
Hal and Harry
For Hal and Harry, I was focusing on finding songs that encapsulate their relationship dynamic, especially the way Hal struggles more with passing as male than Harry does:
HAL: I see no future without you.
HARRY: Good.
HAL: But I get scared… of being men.
HARRY: We have some time to be boys.
HAL: Sometimes I look at you and wonder if you are already a hundred years older than me.
HARRY: ‘Tis not my fault for being taller.
HAL: No. (Senese-Grossberg, 54-55)
HARRY: Nothing. She gave me nothing. When men have drink and get to talking- you wouldn’t understand.
HAL: I wouldn’t understand?
HARRY: No, you wouldn’t.
HAL: Because I’m not a man.
HARRY: I didn’t say that.
HAL: You implied it.” (Senese-Grossberg, 30)
They begin the play with some struggles, and the blooming of this issue becomes more relevant as they reach adulthood, and Harry has grown taller and his voice deeper. This conversation is a bittersweet one, because we can see Harry considering the future, and what he says to Hal differs from what he actually does, but he is still somewhat convinced (maybe trying to convince himself and Hal) that they will continue to be as they are—in love and actors. This falls apart, though, because it becomes obvious that Harry can move on from the theatre, but Hal can’t. Harry says, “I had to change. You know that. We both did. We do not have one body, one mind, one heart. I am sorry. Sometimes I wish we did. ‘Twould make things simpler. But we don’t,” (Senese-Grossberg, 94). This is a trope that I think is still seen often, where queer couples break up because one partner either does not want to come out, or isn’t willing to stay with them because of the social pressure. Some songs on the playlist that fit this trope were “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Casual,” by Chappell Roan, “Cleopatra,” by The Lumineers, “Green Light” by Lorde, and “Once More to See You” by Mitski.
With the theme of more effeminate men like Hal experiencing misogyny and isolation in post-theatre life, I selected “Actor” by Conan Gray, “Real Men” and “I’m Your Man” by Mitski. “Cleopatra” also fits here, as do the others, because of their heartbreak and secret romance themes. Both of the Mitski songs address the effects of misogyny, tying it into sexuality and relationships where there is a power imbalance due to gender roles. I wanted to find songs that were about feminine queer men experiencing misogyny, but the results I got for sources on that topic alone were scarce. There were, however, a good number of female artists writing songs about being feminine and “soft,” Mitski having many. I want to focus on “Actor” here, because it fits well with Hal’s experience, and Conan, writing the song as a queer artist, makes it even more relevant. In the lyrics, Conan sings about hearing phantom church bells “for an undead wedding day,” which can connect to the end of Hal and Harry’s long-term relationship. The lyrics then go on to say that the other person spent “the summer drinking” while the speaker is “being erased” and can’t hide their feelings or make them go away. With Harry and Hal, Hal struggles more to hide his frustration with Harry’s ability to “pass” as a man better than him, and is also picked on by the men Harry hangs out with because of his natural femininity. The next line of the song, “Let’s pretend nothing happened, I agree / But you’re a much better actor than me,” can explicitly relate to Hal not being able to “pass” or “act” as manly as Harry, and also brings in the idea that presenting as a man in a world full of toxic masculinity is a kind of a performance as well. At least for the characters in “Boy My Greatness,” they are pushed out of the theatre, a place where they can play around with gender expectations, and into a world where they must be anything but feminine, because unfortunately, “being a woman is the ultimate insult,” and to be a man is NOT to be feminine (Velenti). For some of the men in the theatre, though they still have to hide who they would prefer to be, it is actually possible, but the play suggests that this is harder for Hal, and that he would struggle to play men both in the theatre and out of it because of his looks and his queerness.
Tom and Samuel
For Tom and Samuel, I was thinking a lot about the impacts of religion on their relationship, and the sacrifice Samuel makes at the end of the play to be with Tom in the afterlife, and to go out doing what he loves for Tom. There were so many angsty songs I felt like I could add to the playlist about religious guilt, and I included “Take Me to Church” by Hozier, and “Fable” by Gigi Perez, because of the lines: “We’ve a lot of starvin’ faithfuls” (Hozier), and “Love was the law and religion was taught…Feel when we argue our skin starts to rot” (Perez). When Sam first comes to the theatre to preach against it, Tom still sympathizes with him because he loves him, and worries about how little they feed him at the church. He says, “They clothe you better than they feed you,” which connects to the starving faithfuls (Senese-Grossberg, 20). Another interpretation could be that the starving relates instead to being hungry for love, which Tom also calls out when talking to Sam: “You seem so much deprived of love my heart could break,” (Senese-Grossberg, 45). The Perez lyrics, as well as calling out the generational homophobia that stems from religion, illustrate Tom and Sam’s rocky and tragic relationship.
When it comes to the theme of sacrifice and their tragic end, I included a few songs such as “Because Dreaming Costs Money, My Dear” by Mitski, “I, Carrion (Icarian)” and “In a Week” by Hozier, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John, and “Wait for Me” from Hadestown. Both “I, Carrion (Icarian)” and “In a Week” felt to me like they embodied the acceptance Sam has at the end of the play, when he kisses Tom and dooms himself (or commits himself) to an early death with him. The songs depict death as a kind of flight or peace, and both Tom and Sam’s deaths in “Boy My Greatness” seem to be a similar kind. Death is tragic, of course, but the future of these characters was tragic as well, so as deeply upsetting the ending is, it is almost a happy ending, since they embrace the fact that they could get to be together again in the afterlife. The song “Because Dreaming Costs Money, My Dear” especially stuck out to me, because of its theme of giving up or pursuing a passion that isn’t looked highly upon, and the struggles it causes (Songtell). It’s a very sad song, and in the verses, Mitski sings of a lingering fire smell and burning in her eyes, as well as being left an empty shell. I feel like these metaphors relate to Samuel giving up on the theatre, even though we see how much he aches for it. He is still left with the passion (the fire), but is empty inside now that he has joined the Puritans, and given up on the things he loves. The chorus, where Mitski sings “Darling, play your violin / I know it’s what you live for / Darling, play your violin / We will manage somehow, Don’t dare regret anything / Remember what you’re here for,” could be Tom to Sam, encouraging him to act even though their ending is doomed. It could also be Sam internally to Tom, considering his attempts to persuade Tom to join him were all in vain, and he might have known it was pointless to try, but wanted to see Tom anyway. Overall, I felt that the song musically and lyrically suited the sad ending of the play.
The other songs I added to their playlist, like “Sweet Dreams, TN,” and “Memories,” were chosen because they fit the angst of their situation. I also had to add “Wait for Me” self-indulgently, because of their last words to each other: “SAMUEL: I shall soon join you. Tonight. Wait for me. / TOM: I will” (Senese-Grossberg104).
Robin (and John)
This playlist was one of my favorites to make because Robin’s character is so endearing and saddening to me, and his dynamic with John is one that was sweet to look into. When putting it together, I was thinking mainly about John’s desire to protect Robin from a lot of the dangers of being in the theatre as a young boy playing women, as well as John’s quiet yearning for playing women like he used to. On top of that, I found a few songs that I felt encompassed Robin’s pride and determination when it came to acting, because he was very insistent on continuing the show, and doing whatever it took to be a good player.
For songs that fit John’s protectiveness over Robin, I chose “Vienna,” by Billy Joel, because it feels like a conversation he would have with him about his dangerous ambitiousness, and also “Eat Your Young,” by Hozier, because of its message about older people exploiting younger generations, beginning with erotic diction to draw people into its danger—“Come and get some / Skinnin’ the children for a war drum / Put in front of the table, sellin’ bombs and guns / It’s quicker and easier to eat your young”—which is similar to the exploitation of these young boys playing women, who often end up being used as objects of sexual desire for older men (Harris). “I Bet on Losing Dogs” by Mitski was a song I felt suited John and his role in these younger characters’ lives; he supports them, provides a home for them, and knows that things will be rough for them in the long run. He also tries to mould them into perfect actors, and therefore he “bets on losing dogs,” but remains “on their side” as a protective role-model even though it pains him:
JOHN: […] When I was a younger man I could not shield the other boys…I failed them. Thomas…Samuel…I trained them and cared for them and yet…they were boys who came with so little…I did not think to…But I am a shareholder now. And I shall put a stop to such things. This is why-my child- you cannot perform tonight. Please do not protest but trust in my wisdom (Senese-Grossberg, 89).
“Liquid Smooth” (another Mitski song, I know) was very on the nose for what I was looking for, which was a song that connected to Robin himself, knowing of the dangers already, and the sexual exploitation he has/will experience to get ahead in the acting world at such a young age. Mitski writes about being sexualized, but in a way that she is sexualizing herself, a clear commentary on the way women are fetishized, and how it can affect them: “I’m liquid smooth, come touch me too / And feel my skin is plump and full of life / I’m in my prime.” Robin has been a victim of sexual exploitation already at 12 years old, and is sadly aware and understands the risks John warns him about. He says, “These men and their affections cannot be what tears me from what I love most. I would endure armies of Viscounts if only I would never stop” (Senese-Grossberg, 89). He’s forced to grow up and see things he shouldn’t, because the players acting as women are sexualized, but he makes the “choice” to keep pursuing it over protecting himself.
Other songs I added about Robin’s determination to keep acting are “Still Sane” and “Tennis Court” by Lorde, “Anything But” and “Nobody’s Soldier” by Hozier, and “American Pie” by Don McLean. For songs about John’s yearning for the women roles he used to play, I chose the songs “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles (the guitar as a metaphor for the old roles), and “Piano Man” by Billy Joel (which feels like the perspective of Robin, who is recognizing that John is not where he would have liked to be, and who is now in the position of making the art that John wishes he could be doing).
The Players (Bonus!)
I also had some songs that I almost added to a few of the other players’ playlists but realized they fit them all pretty well! I made another with these songs, and almost all of these have themes of death, and going out with a bang, or theatre and performance (“The Show Must Go On” by Queen being a quite obvious example), which tie closely to the end of the play.
Work Cited
Harris, Alex. “Decoding the Profound Narrative of Hozier’s Eat Your Young Lyrics.” Neon Music, 19 June 2023, neonmusic.co.uk/decoding-the-profound-narrative-of-hoziers-eat-your-young-lyrics.
Senese-Grossberg, Zoe. “Boy My Greatness | New Play Exchange.” Newplayexchange.org, 2025, newplayexchange.org/script/2049896/boy-my-greatness. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
Songtell. “Meaning of “Because Dreaming Costs Money, My Dear” by Mitski.” Songtell.com, 2023, http://www.songtell.com/mitski/because-dreaming-costs-money-my-dear. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism : A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters. Berkeley, Ca, Seal Press, 2014.
Sprockets and Springes 