Terrence McNally tries this in his much-anticipated new play, Some Men, concluding the Philadelphia Theatre Company's 30th season, but his 15 scattershot scenes of gay life, ranging from 1925 to the present, sacrifice specific characters' quality for the raw quantity of stereotypes and sketches.

The topic—announced at the start, as if we couldn't figure it out—is gay marriage, but it's barely explored.

At first, Some Men seems designed to preach to the choir, a celebration of gay men (no lesbians included—the token women, Suzzanne Douglas and Barbara Walsh, are introduced as "your divas") and a gay history survey with a requisite sentimental song list: "Always" frames the show, plus "Over the Rainbow," "Like a Virgin," "Amazing Grace" (!?) and, of course, "It's Raining Men."

However, the way these shallow characters jabber incessantly about their homosexuality, like children with a brand new toy, feels more like an afterschool special. I knew a guy like this in college: When he came out, we couldn't ask "Coffee or tea?" without sparking a diatribe or confessional monologue, and he was insufferable for months. Rare are the scenes where these men do anything but try to fuck, fuck (including a passionless nude scene), or rehash fucking.

Some Men resorts to dramatic cliches, like a summary of better plays about gays: Lying men seduce each other in chat rooms, a husband comes out to his wife of 10 years, men wearing only towels dance (with disturbingly awkward finger-snapping) in a '70s bathhouse, and, of course, a man dies of AIDS surrounded by gay friends and his uncomfortable straight brother.

Genuinely engaging moments rarely emerge: Older couple John Glover and Don Amendolia are found insufficiently militant by two judgmental "gender-studies majors from Vassar," and a youth (Brandon Bales) reveals his feelings for a reticent man (Tom Judson) in group therapy. McNally's too willing to undercut scenes, as with a cheap "friend of Dorothy" in-joke when a soldier (Duane Boutté) tries to connect with his dead lover's mother (Douglas), and use writing shortcuts in meet-cute scenes, with characters saying "I can't believe I used that word" after uttering something awkward.

After two hours and forty-five minutes, when the AIDS victim rose from his bed to chant, "We're here, we're queer, get used to it," I wanted to yell back, "You're here, you're queer, we got it a long time ago … now can we talk about something else?"

SOME MEN Through June 11, Philadelphia Theatre Company at Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St., 215-985-0420 or www.phillytheatreco.com