Man Up! is a dazzling two-hander, deconstructing what it means to be a woman/man/person in the 21st century. Literally stripping the layers of mythology surrounding the terms of gender, Man Up! provides a unique insight into the deconstruction and reconstruction of self through a mixture of discourses: anecdote, stereotype, popular culture and literature. Gliding through the spectrum of gender, Man Up! explores the fluidity of our gendered selves in an entertaining and relatable story of self.
Man-Up follows the story of Milly and Alex, exploring and discussing their lifetime experiences of gender. Both characters begin in clearly defined gendered roles, a femme beauty queen and a masc gamer guy; two highly gendered ‘selves’ divided and isolated from their culturally opposite ‘other’. But as the piece continues, the lines become blurred between feminine and masculine, as they deconstruct the stereotypes that haunt gender by demonstrating the fluidity inherent within it. Swapping sides, the centre-stage line is stripped away, revealing a common humanity and fluidity at the centre of the piece.
The stage begins as two clearly defined stations of masculinity and femininity, but as the characters begin to transform, the space follows, finally transitioning semiotically from a binary division of masculinity and femininity, to a more fluid and amorphous space, demonstrating the wider spectrum of gender. The narrative is accompanied by a series of sketches, cleverly created through use of props and costume; this intelligent physicality is crucial to the piece, breaking up the language-driven narrative with a more visceral demonstration of the story.
The performances give a sense of a verbatim realism, existing somewhere between truth and fiction, the expressiveness and humanity of the performances demands our attention and our empathy. The transformations between femininity and masculinity are incredible to watch, constructed on-stage throughout the piece, truly highlighting the performativity of gender. Man-Up! is hilariously funny and heartbreakingly relevant, it tackles issues that continue to haunt our social and cultural structures in a manner that feels inclusive and understanding of a wider modern audience.
” … out to change the world one audience member at a time, helping us all embrace our inner bastards, one hair barrette at a time”
In a shimmering and sparkling corner of ‘the swamp’ live The Fems, a dazzling bouffant clown group epitomising the dirty word of gay culture, a theatre of the dispossessed; the world of all things fem.
In a 65 minute kamikaze cabaret, The Fems (written and directed by Jonathan Richardson) bring us into their world. Tackling cultural issues to the ground with humour and style through a series of sketches. Daring, brash, yet never too serious, The Fems are out to change the world one audience member at a time, helping us all embrace our inner bastards, one hair barrette at a time; you can run but you can’t hide.
Costumes and set have a carnival-esque feel, being constructed and deconstructed in front of our eyes. Mixing the symbolic with the referential, The Fems explore what it means to be a Fem, and the issues that come with it, demonstrating once and for all, that it’s hard to be a Fem. Lines sometimes felt a little sketchy, and I’d love to see this piece with further development, but the occasional lack of polish serves the comedy, bringing a feeling of improvisation, flexibility and snappy stand-up wit; it is a show in which you feel anything could happen.
Accessible and enlivening, The Fems celebrates and discusses the complexities of femininity without risking exclusivity. Every member of the audience is included and entertained, and The Fems strong message of support and openness never risks preaching, always maintaining the balance between entertainment and activism. A hilarious and thought-provoking evening for anyone and everyone, The Fems bring us into a ‘living breathing organism of playful theatrical wonder’, bringing the Theatre of the Bouffon new relevance and importance in which the ‘others’ parody the ‘self’, the excluded deconstruct the included, in the grotesquely wonderful world of Fem.
