The biggest mystery in Netflix's The Boys in the Band is what Alan was going to say to Michael (Jim Parsons) after his teary phone call. The question remains unanswered in the emotionally loaded adaptation of Mart Crowley's pioneering stage play, but there are major hints that Alan's secret related to his sexuality.
Netflix's The Boys in the Band follows a group of gay friends brought together by the birthday of Harold (Zachary Quinto) at the apartment of Michael (Jim Parsons) in 1968 New York, which is interrupted by the arrival of Michael's straight college friend Alan (Brian Hutchison) who desperately ask to see him. Terrified by the threat of his sexuality being outed, Michael asks his friends - ranging from the flamboyant Emory to "straight-acting" Hank - to temporarily tone down their behavior while he finds out why Alan was so urgent.
Unfortunately, Alan's presence derails the dynamic of the party as he discovers the sexuality of the other guests and becomes violent against Emory. Michael spirals into an alcoholic fog and becomes increasingly tempestuous towards his friends, before accusing Alan of being a closeted homosexual. But is Michael's accusation true? What was Alan's secret and why did he come to Michael for it?
The evidence against Alan's queerness in The Boys in the Band is chiefly that he denies it and the relationship he was supposed to have been in with he and Michael's mutual friend Justin. He is married but left his wife - which transpires in the explosive game of telephone in which he calls her to apologize and affirm his love. And pointedly, Alan does not "act gay": he is, for all intents and purposes, an interloper on the group from the society that ostracizes and vilifies their existence. His homophobia is an extension of the general feelings of the times and his threat to the gay characters is a reflection of their anxiety over appearing to be out in public. That's also why he is so fascinating and why his secret is so compelling.
It is clear from his first call that Alan has something weighing on him. He cries to Michael, begging to see him, fabricating a story about being invited to a dinner party nearby and even when he says he won't turn up, he does, having called to cancel from just around the block. When he is challenged on his sexuality, eventually, he is somewhat appalled, but also distraught, suggesting an element of regret at being discovered. At that point, he is drawn in parallel with the straight boys who rejected Emory and Bernard in their backstories - boys who blamed their sexual activity with other boys on alcohol or uncharacteristic behavior. There's a whispered suggestion that it's an epidemic, throughout the story and Alan's story fits.
Most importantly, even though Alan claims to love his wife and is leaving to go home, his next appearance is in a bar where he sits alone, seemingly unwilling to go back. He had found his community in Michael's apartment, for all of its strangeness and hostility and the suggestion is that he didn't leave because he too belonged there, albeit at the extreme end of the sexuality spectrum beyond Hank. His fear and ultimate escape speak to the general "coming out" story, not to the reality of his sexuality. And of course, Michael believes that he is gay, which is crucial because his honesty is a crutch for the whole play. Sometimes he uses it to beat others over the head, of course, but there is no doubt that everything he says comes from a place of true intent.
While there is certainly a case for doubt over Alan's secret, his story fits with all of the key themes that The Boys in the Band explores: the appearance of straightness, the threat of "normal society" to queerness, self-hatred, trauma, and finding community in those who share similar traumatic experiences. He may not be gay - it's not certain - but his story belongs in the queer narrative of the film, certainly.
