Review by Greg Gorton
You're the Man promises a production of great importance. Writer Paul Mitchell asks “how could the anger [of men] lead someone to hurt their child?” and says the play “takes the audience inside the love and anger that exist concurrently.” He claims that it “asks us all, not just the governments, to look for the points of intervention.”The marketing for this play emphasises the role of the son, Liam, and promises it will “challenge the justifications men make and show the tenderness and strength possible in renewed masculinity.”
The set design, by Filipe Filihia certainly had me believing this promise would be fulfilled. Framing the stage are large columns of brutalist concrete, crumbling apart. Two chairs, a movable bench, and a few select props are all needed to capture the underlying violence in suburban Australia. Above, a catwalk creates Liam's bedroom, allowing the boy to exist in our vision and minds as the play progresses otherwise without him.
Simon Mason's sound design is equally compelling. The transitional music and environmental effects more than make up for some cheesy replacements for on-stage violence.
Justin Bell, as Mark (the protagonist and murderer-to-be), must take great pains to relax his voice during the day. While he has little chance to explore his character, his high energy and loud voice never seem to waver. While some ramblings are lost to my ears, I'm not sure the actor is to blame.While the rest of the cast are competent, it is Ryland Mitchell (son of the writer) who truly stands out. His portrayal of the mourning teen has a high level of empathy in the few scenes he has. I truly believe that both character and actor were underutilised in this show.
Theresa Borg’s direction is a little chaotic. At times the naturalism evokes the great Australian plays of the mid twentieth century, while other times remind me of high school drama exercises.
All in all, for the privileged theatre-goer, You're the Man is a serviceable play that hums along innocuously.
However, if you have been affected by the depressing world of toxic masculinity or family violence, or if you were hoping for a nuanced discussion of the factors that lead to the murder of a child, you will be left wanting. There's a small chance you might even be offended.
A good three-quarters of this production is a one-dimensional portrayal of spousal abuse. The relationship between Liam and Mark is explored only once, in a scene that does not involve Ryland. There was no exploration of Mark's drive to violence, with the only suggestion being the harmful myth that the abused become abusers.
Tossing reality aside, all tertiary characters in this play are “positive influences ignored”. The counsellor listens and empathises, the lawyer does his best to give Mark his children, and even his friend criticises the early violence. In You're the Man, Mark is a bad man in a good world, with the colour grey not in the palette of the writer.
There are moments of reprieve. Scenes centred around fishing offer minor moments in which Mark might become introspective, even if he doesn't. Scenes involving Liam tell a complex story about victim experiences, but they are too few and far between.
Sadly, the promise made by You're the Man is not delivered, and the play does little to explore the questions that surround domestic violence. While an otherwise fine production, there is little to get excited about.
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