STUNTMAN
The Place
★★★★
“opens with swagger and closes with vulnerability”
Many a young boy dreams of being a stuntman – until reality throws the first punch. ‘Stuntman’ is a tough yet tender take on violence and masculinity, examining what it means to be male in modern society through a compelling mix of physicality, dance, speech and sign language. It swings with force and feeling and would be a knockout save for an unusual structure.
Presented by the Scottish company, SUPERFAN, and based on true events, we meet Sadiq and Fox executing violent stunts while exploring how they got into stunt performance. Scenes which start off playful and stylised become more extreme and realistic. The intervening stories dig deeper, deconstructing masculinity with fierce vulnerability. By the end, you’ll question your own conception of manhood and wonder who really benefits from society’s expectations.
Co-devised by Pete Lannon, Fox Banks and Sadiq Ali, ‘Stuntman’ has a loose narrative, feeling like a series of chapters linked by a common thread. Each section explores male-on-male violence, culminating in a heartbreaking reflection on male self-expression and disconnection. The final sequence of a distressed Fox and Sadiq repeatedly leaning on one another before pushing the other away shows this with devastating clarity. It’s a timely, powerful piece. That said, there’s far more movement than speech, with the almost endless murder scenes (each repeating “See you in hell motherf*****!”) starting to feel superfluous. I long for more dialogue to really dissect the emotional core, especially Sadiq’s perspective which is relatively underexplored. Though perhaps that’s the point: all too often, men are socialised to lack the vocabulary.
A devised piece directed by Lannon, ‘Stuntman’ has an autobiographical, immersive quality: we find our seats while the men laddishly fool around; we are addressed directly and even ‘shot at’ at points (don’t worry, there are no weapons). There are clever contrasts between Fox’s two fight monologues, one as glorified and stylised as a movie scene, the other starker and more honest. The river scene hits hard, as Fox and Sadiq hauntingly repeat ‘I didn’t know what to do’ while apologising to each other – heart wrenchingly beautiful. The pacing could be tightened, with some overly long pauses losing momentum at points.
The choreography (Lucy Ireland) steps in when words fail, sweeping, striking and reaching for an elusive form of expression and cleverly incorporating BSL interpreter, Iain Hodgetts. The score (Richy Carey) mixes music with fight effects and ambient sounds, layering reality upon the otherwise abstract scenography (Rachel O’Neill) and transforming movement into a tightly executed dance. O’Neill’s set evokes a boxing ring, complete with canvas. The lighting design (Michaella Fee) mixes brash bulbs with a suffusive tonal palette. The costumes build up and then strip away the machismo.
Fox Banks and Sadiq Ali are totally in sync throughout, giving each other a quick nod before launching into the next section. Ali is a beautiful dancer, deftly executing impressively acrobatic and subtly nuanced moves. Banks demonstrates power and perseverance, especially when repeatedly hitting the deck at the end of a rope. Both deliver earnest and moving monologues, pushing the boundaries before straining at the limits of society’s expectations.
‘Stuntman’ opens with swagger and closes with vulnerability – a brave, bare-knuckle dive into modern masculinity. Don’t miss it, even if I’d swap some combat for more connection.
STUNTMAN
The Place
Reviewed on 4th October 2025
by Hannah Bothelton
Photography by Brian Hartley
Previously reviewed at this venue:
JAZZ CONVERSATIONS | ★★★★★ | September 2024
