MORMON BOY
Steven Heard Fales' MORMON BOY CONFESSIONS
Good Boy. Bad Boy. Mormon Boy.
"Transformation for a whole new generation."
MormonBoy 2.0
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Welcome to the all-new MORMON BOY!
An American original since 2001
“Wrenchingly honest, hilariously jubilant and utterly clear-eyed, Steven Heard Fales’ autobiographical testimony is an exceptional achievement to rank beside the best of the solo genre."
—Los Angeles Times (Critics Choice)
Outer Critics Circle Award Nominee Steven Heard Fales's Confessions of a Mormon Boy has been called "a triumph" (Newsday) and is considered by many to be one of the finest autobiographical solo plays of the 21st Century. Now called Mormon Boy Confessions, the landmark one-man show was originally directed (officially) Off-Broadway in 2006 for a four-month run at the SoHo Playhouse by Tony Award Winner Jack Hofsiss (The Elephant Man), was a 2007 Lambda Literary Award Finalist, and received an Oscar Wilde Award Nomination at the Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival in 2008.
Ahead of its time for its post-postmodern sensibility and its afront to respectability politics, the trailblazing one-Mormon play has toured extensively across the country and around the world from Halifax to Houston, London to Los Angeles, Melbourne to Miami, South Africa to Scandinavia, and theater festivals at home and abroad including the Edinburgh Fringe. It has been used to educate and raise money for charity at special events from Lincoln Center to the Phillips Academy to SafeHouse of the Desert.
Mormon Boy was also pioneering for its brutal honesty (and generosity-of-spirit) while wrangling with adult themes of spiritual abuse, divorce, fatherhood, and recovery from "chem-sex" and sex work addiction. It was a precursor to other stage work involving Mormon themes including Broadway's The Book of Mormon Musical that debuted in 2011—a decade after Fales first broke the "Mormon ice" onstage in New York City. Mormon Boy was also written as a response to Tony Kushner's Angels in America on Broadway a decade before.
Confessions began as a five-minute stand-up routine at Caroline's On Broadway before its 2001 world premiere in Salt Lake City. It was a breakout hit at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2004 where it received an Overall Excellence Award, among other milestones, honors, and distinctions. And after a long pandemic pause, it will be returning in an updated, all-new production as part of Fales' MormonBoy 2.0.
"From Salt Lake to New York, both cities have come to define the divergent worlds of Steven Fales' one-man hit. Now, read for yourself the stirring and often shocking true story of one man's coming out as a gay Mormon and being excommunicated from the only church he ever knew, to his harrowing ordeal of sex and drugs in a city that almost consumed him." (From the inside cover of the published book, Confessions of a Mormon Boy: Behind the Scenes of the Off-Broadway Hit.)
The official Off-Broadway blurb reads, "After excommunication, divorce, prostitution, and drugs, a sixth-generation Utah Mormon reclaims his kids and 'Donny Osmond' smile. An inspiring true story told with humor, song, and The Book of Mormon."
Confessions is now Part One in Fales' Mormon Boy Trilogy: Three Solo Plays in Repertory and the subject of the forthcoming book: Mormon Boy Confidential: The Story Behind the Story. He is also in the midst of writing the many volumes in his autobiographical epic, Oxy-Mormon Memoirs.
For more information go to the "About" section of this website or visit StevenHeardFales.com.
Reviews
“Fales’ life is the stuff of great theatre."
—Associated Press
"An uncommonly powerful, gripping, and very moving piece of theatre."
—Chicago Tribune
"Compelling confessional theatre. Fales knows how to sell it."
—New York Times
"Fales is such a perceptive writer. An enormously appealing performer, his struggle to make his life cohere is as moving as it is funny."
—New York Daily News
"A quintessentially American once-upon-a-time of sexual identity crisis and selfhood.”
—Village Voice
"The story couldn't be more timely."
—San Francisco Chronicle
"What a rare and skillful thing is Mormon Boy, Steven Fales’ engrossing, funny, and often quite harrowing tale."
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Fales is taking audiences with him on a pendulum swing, from uncomfortable piety to uncontrolled sensuality, and finally to the stillness and peace of finding his authentic self. Honest, moving, whimsical, sobering, tender, and cathartic."
—Miami Herald
“An absorbing tale about the universal human search for belonging. Gay or not, Mormon or not, it is something we can all relate to.”
—Salt Lake Tribune
"Smart. Fales retains an astonishing generosity of spirit. He bares his soul. And, even if that soul is one that his church has condemned, it still feels like a sacred gift.”
—Boston Globe
“A keen sense of the ridiculous—displayed in telling narrative details, some droll characterizations, and a wealth of verbal zingers—leavens his powerful Mormon Boy. A rare artistic commodity: a stand-up-comedy-infused autobiographical epic containing chapter after chapter of absorbing spiritual and personal crisis, sly cultural commentary, and humor.”
—Washington Post
"The play builds in power until it crests in a warm and satisfying wave that lifts theatergoers to their feet and is generously sprinkled with witty one-liners. As he comes to peace with himself, Fales provides a simple but startling coup de theatre to signal the emergence of the real human and his play shoots skyward in dramatic content and emotional payoff."
—South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“A brave, bold, brightly-shining masterpiece. Unforgettable.”
—Houston Chronicle
“It is the truth-telling that provides the punch and holds the audience in thrall. A talented performer recounts with charm and power a gripping narrative. An emotional, amusing and roller-coaster theatrical ride.”
—Houston Press
"Fales is superb. Heartbreaking. Humorous. A tale about finding redemption in honesty."
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Fales is an endearing performer, a masterful storyteller, and one hell of a writer. Throughout the play, his belief in God and his desire to be ‘good’ make him an extremely compelling hero. Evocative detail, humor and moments of spellbinding drama . . . great theatre . . . sexy and harrowing. A play that transcends religion, gender and sexuality."
—San Francisco Examiner
“The play is alternately funny and sad—and at its best moments, both. A self-examination about accepting responsibility.”
—The Advocate
"It all leads up to a moment of vulnerability so simple and powerful it suggests a kind of grace. All is forgiven with his final breathtaking, self-revelatory gesture. Fales describes his work as ‘ultimately a prayer’, and at that moment, Mormon Boy makes you want to say ‘amen’.”
—San Diego Union-Tribune
“A very funny, poignant and surprising story of self-acceptance and the happiness in finding spiritual connections.”
—Las Vegas Review-Journal
"There are numerous moments of revelation here. Beyond surprising and moving, it was stunning. Steven Fales is a hero.”
—Austin Chronicle
“Fales walks a fine line between satire and truth and ultimately generates a skillful and compelling balance between one-line zingers and life-affirming revelation. It is a testimony to Fales’ skill as a storyteller as well as his ability to find humor in the often-painful human condition that holds his audience for 90 uninterrupted minutes.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“While questioning Mormon doctrine on sexuality, he feels genuine warmth toward the people of the faith. Fales mixes earnest confession, witty commentary and a number of playful sketches of people he has met on his life journey . . . his performance is polished. He is as engaging as the Mormon with a toothy Donny Osmond smile and sparkling eyes as he is as the low-keyed genuine individual he becomes at the play’s end.”
—Oregonian
“Just when you thought the gay coming-out tale had exhausted itself, Steven Fales’ solo show gives it a twist with the perspective of a Brokeback Mormon. Fales is eminently likable and can be winning in his considerable force of charm. The show gets a blast of lyricism with his account of a dream that had him galloping on horseback over the Western land along with his male ancestors . . . that shows the soul behind the smile.”
—Variety
International and full-length reviews and press can be found in the "About" section of this website.
Endorsements
"Mormon Boy has one of the most riveting moments I have ever seen in the theatre. It literally made my jaw drop. Being a recovering Southern Baptist, Steven Fales’s tale of his journey to self-acceptance made me want to jump up in the theatre and holler "Amen!" I have seen Mormon Boy several times and have brought friends who were considering doing one-person shows to show them an example of how multi-layered a solo piece like his can be. Mr. Fales is a master at his craft. His work is timely and of utmost importance in these days of religious-based intolerance."
—Leslie Jordan, Emmy Award Winner for Will & Grace
"As someone who knew Steven at 18 years old, since our freshman year in college, I was overwhelmed in witnessing my friend's journey. It is no easy thing to live in authenticity, and it takes enormous strength to look in the mirror and be honest with oneself. Mormon Boy transcends it's singularity with universal themes we can all relate to in our individual search for truth and meaning."
—Jennifer Simard, Three-time Tony Award Nominee
“Mormon Boy is a riveting night of theater. Grounded in the specifics of his own colorful life, it transcends personal revelation by inviting the audience to consider larger issues—the costs of authenticity in a rigid and stratified world. He is a playwright whose work displays great moral courage and daring.”
—Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
"The best coming-of-age, grappling-with-being piece I've seen since Dan Butler's, and you know there have been a thousand of them ever since his. It's really good. This needs to be filmed."
—Bruce Vilanch, Six-time Emmy Award Winner
“Steven’s one-man show is a combination of an incredibly emotional and heart-wrenching story, a powerfully written and nuanced script, and a knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark performance. Confronting the ‘demons’ within, and seemingly around him, and ending up such an inspiring example of true self-respect and authenticity left me deeply touched and equally inspired.”
—Judith Light, Two-time Tony Award Winner
"When one can be so moved as to laugh till your jaw hurts, wince with a sorry recognition at the pain distorted religion can inflict, cheer with unashamed abandon at an enviable and inspiring bravery so rarely expressed in the face of certain banishment and ridicule, you know you have had a thrilling and emotionally fulfilling theatrical experience. Bravo, Steven Fales and his Mormon Boy!"
—Lucie Arnaz, Tony Award Nominee
"I'm still in awe of this beautiful poem of self-revelation. It's like an enormous bell: in time the initial ring may sink below our hearing range but the vibrations keep spreading outward like eddies in a lake. Mormon Boy stays with you."
—Marty Martin, playwright Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein
"Mormon Boy has the 'wow' factor. It's deeply dramatic and involving, and the material covers so much territory."
—Stephen M. Silverman, American biographer, journalist, and editor.
Playwright/Performer/Producer
"Steven Heard Fales is easily one of the best, if not the best, solo performers in the business."
—David Clarke, BroadwayWorld.com
Steven Heard Fales started writing professionally when his "perfect" Mormon world fell apart. Long before social media and reality tv launched Latter-day Saint personalities, podcasters, and storytellers of all kinds, Mr. Fales has the distinction of being the first gay/bisexual Mormon (and excommunicated LDS father) to tell his story in any kind of mainstage/mainstream way.
Mr. Fales attended the Idylwild School of Music and the Arts before earning a BFA in musical theater from the Boston Conservatory/Brigham Young University—where he was a touring member of the Young Ambassadors. He holds an MFA in acting from the University of Connecticut/Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Before specializing in solo performance, Mr. Fales was a union actor working at Shakespeare festivals and regional theatres across the country while dabbling in film and television.
"Elder Fales" served an LDS mission to Atlanta, Georgia and Oporto, Portugal. His father is a Mormon bishop and his step-grandfather is the late, popular LDS General Authority, Hartman Rector, Jr. He has two children with ex-wife Emily Pearson, daughter of celebrated Mormon poet/author, Carol Lynn Pearson. Brother Fales was formally excommunicated in an ecclesiastical church court in Sandy, Utah the summer of 2000. He became Episcopalian in 2008 and then converted to Roman Catholicism in 2026.
Today Mr. Fales eschews all labels as he writes of Mormon Americana and the Mountain West. Now based in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas he quips, "I have the soul of a conservative, the education of a liberal, and the experience of a progressive. That makes me fiercely independent in every way!"
Mr. Fales will soon have a Substack blog and podcast called Mormon Boy Confidential. For more information and other credits, please see his full-length bio on this website or go to StevenHeardFales.com.
Note from Tony Award Winner Jack Hofsiss
Anyplace. Two people. One speaks; one listens. Theatre at its most essential. Whether gathering around a campfire to hear those first stories centuries ago or gathering around the electric light of the most modern playhouse, it is theatre.
These thoughts were on my mind one summer afternoon not to long ago when, at the invitation of a producer, a young actor came to meet me to discuss directing his play. As we went through the civilities of getting to know each other we discussed how best to talk about this play which I had not seen or read. Organically the actor began to speak the play to me. It was a solo piece, so it easily lent itself to this casual performance. It was anyplace (my living room), there was one person speaking (the storyteller) and one person listening (the audience). Without realizing it we were in the throes of a theatrical performance. This was my first experience of Confessions of a Mormon Boy.
As I worked with the playwright-actor on it over these last number of years, every production has been an attempt to capture for the audience the experience I had in my living room that day. This ferociously honest tale needs no embellishment to make its powerful points. We all come from some community (religious or otherwise) with which we must make our peace as we gain our own beliefs and value systems. Steven's struggle to incorporate Mormonism into his life as a gay American is metaphoric for any journey to become whole with your traditions and faith. I have always been particularly struck by the play's refusal to disparage religion. Instead it speaks toward the inclusion of different sensibilities inside the whole.
This is a tale of faith, this is a tale of tradition, this is a tale of self-identification, this is a tale of love. Come gather around our literary campfire and hear this tale we tell.
—Jack Hofsiss* from the foreword to the book Confessions of a Mormon Boy: Behind the Scenes of the Off-Broadway Hit. (Alyson Books, 2007)
*Jack Hofsiss won a Tony Award for the original production of The Elephant Man.