The King’s Head’s Theatre opens its new venue with the world premiere of Shaun McKenna and Andrew Van Sickle’s latest play. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know how hard he can get when shooting his ink.
Oh, nothing says ‘marriage’ like being torn to pieces. Having yourself screwed and pounded as you realize you’re committed to a d*ck. And fondly remembering those times when you might have been lonely, but at least no one was spewing their malicious load all over your face… WHAT?! Yes, there’s nothing private or unlived about how painful letting someone into your intimate zone can be. But hey, if you don’t take the risk, you only end up with a lot of sh*t inside you… I wonder why I haven’t been given the Nobel yet – seriously.
Last night was a night of celebration in the London scene. A new venue, to some extent, welcomed its first audience as the press performance of Exhibitionists inaugurated their season. Also having its world premiere, the play, penned by Shaun McKenna and Andrew Van Sickle, is a queer homage to Noel Coward’s signature comedy – following, almost by the book, the same scheme as Elyot and Sibyl’s romantic shenanigans, with the exception that now the maid is a steaming hot Norwegian sweeping the backside with a different broom.
An interesting premise to start from (I mean, I’m always down for a fivesome – well, actually up, if we’re being technical), the material sadly hangs way too loose while performing – lacking proper drilling and the ability to hook the viewers up as the story progresses. A great deal of its flaccidity stems, in fact, from an unpolished dialogue and a noticeable absence of character development – all of their traits, relying on uncountable gay cliches which, though none of them untrue, seem forced down (and not in the pleasurable way), eventually resulting in too shallow depictions.
On the other hand (not the one you like to use…), though the plot is occasionally entertaining, the script requires more originality – that also including the personages’ lines, far too often sounding a bit too artificial and more preoccupied about making them look queer rather than making them look real. At the same time, most of the punchlines are extremely predictable, missing the surprising element that’s crucial to let them work, and unable to bring out the bitchy sparkle that any suitable queen must flaunt their crown with (for further instructions, check my Grindr appendix… and interpret that as you like).
As for the cast, though their engagement and enthusiasm towards the piece is highly palpable (I’m also the same when I have a big piece to sink my teeth in -figure of speech!-), the renditions are, unfortunately, slightly flawed. None of them seem entirely believable, but for some reason, they do seem constrained – showing off their comical features, but wistfully unable to exude too many hints of truth in their portrayals. However, a shoutout can still be given to Jake Mitchell-Jones in the role of Mal, oozing great energy and, through a mildly moving monologue, a tiny bit of pizzazz by the end of his performance. In addition, Oystein Lode also makes a memorable appearance as Sebastian, bringing out charm and sweetness to a part that, though not much exploited, still manages to find his purpose within the play.
A nice attempt at bringing chuckles to the drama of nowadays dating (nothing that time can’t blow, anyway; or a FWB, either), Exhibitionists exposes a compelling reality but fails to make it truthful – worrying too much on being funny instead of being functional, and thus preventing both situations from ever happening. Though dealing with some appealing, more profound topics like parental homophobia and the insecurities surrounding modern relationships, all of those subjects are barely explored (again, not as we would like it…), hindering any traces of uniqueness for the sake of a rather bland and probably unintentional caricature. A more filling, substantial content is vital to make its whole body reach an adequate climax. We all know how tough it is to get deep sometimes, but when you allow yourself to untighten, you’d be surprise how much you can take.
All pictures credit to Geraint Lewis.
Exhibitionists plays at London’s King’s Head Theatre until 10 February. Tickets are available on the following link.