Review: KING OF PIGS Shines A Spotlight On The Realities Many Women Face In An Effort To Change Toxic Masculinity

Saturday 18th August 2018, 8pm, Old Fitz Theatre

New Australian play by Steve Rodgers, KING OF PIGS, considers the prevalence of violence against women with a hope that future generations of men can be bought up to find ways to deal with their problems and emotions other than violence and abuse. Directed by Blazey Best, this work, whilst at times is shocking, is unfortunately not surprising.

The 70 minute work presented in short scenes covers four different relationships. In three, the relationship starts out 'normal' but signs of abuse and toxic masculinity emerge to result in the man perpetrating an act of violence against the woman. The fourth sees a seemingly blameless man try instill the traditionally masculine traits of aggressive competitiveness in an intelligent child (presented by Wylie Best on the night reviewed with role shared with Thomas Blake) who would prefer to enjoy his pursuits and succeed his own way, not fixated on being the team captain or better than his school mates. To highlight that these stories represent a wide range of men, each is presented by a different actor (Mick Bani, Ashley Hawkes, Christian Byers and Kire Tosevski) whilst the woman in each story, whilst a different character, is portrayed soley by Ella Scott-Lynch.

The intimate space of the Old Fitz Theatre is given a stark aesthetic by set and costume designer Isabel Hudson, with white, possibly smoke damaged, walls with three doorways, a two way mirror and a simple commercial table with two chairs. Aside from the multiple egress points, it could be a police interview room but it also serves as the bars, nightclubs and homes in which the stories unfold. Costuming is kept relatively simple. Scott-Lynch remaining in the same attire throughout regardless of which woman she is portraying. The men's dress better represents who they are, from the well dressed investment banker, the 20 something checkout boy, aspiring rugby player and the behavioral therapist.

In the age of the #metoo movement KING OF PIGS is an interesting work in that it is written by a male for men, calling them on their behavior or the complicities if either men or women see this behavior in friends, relatives or collegues and fail to challenge it. It shows how insidious toxic masculinity is and how it can be allowed to evolve, unchecked, from something seemingly innocuous like questioning a wife's choice of friends, making her feel guilty for wanting some personal time or criticizing her looks. It shows not only the twisted thinking that has led to the need for legislation changing consent laws to try to stop the sexual assault of people not in a fit state to give their consent but also the need to stand together and tell the perpetrators that society won't stand idly by or worse defend abusers. It also shows how we need to be careful how we talk to the next generation so we arent perpetuating the cycle of needing to control others or diminish others to feel good about ourselves.

Rodgers doesn't hold back on his portrayal of his gender and this is further reinforced with the choice of a female director. Best ensures that the aggression and violence is presented with an honest and realism, from the subtleness of the backhanded complements that hide an underlying desire for control to the degree of fear that the shift in behavior elicits in the victims. The hero of the story however lies in the hope for the future, the child prepared to remain firm against his father's competitive and critical nature.

Given the message lies in the actions that could be committed by any man, the adult characters are given little depth but still presented with enough clarity to make it clear that at face value, they seemed like harmless people. Initially it is unclear as to whether the same woman is replaying her part in the various relationships through her life but eventually differences indicate the separation. Throughout the stories with violent partners, the woman's story is similar, trying to convince a counselor, the police and the courts therefore it is clever that Scott-Lynch remain constant. Of the night reviewed, the standout performance comes from Wylie Best. He presents the 10 year old with a natural expression and a confident stagecraft. The directorial choice to have him constantly doing something is inspired, from the munching on an afterschool snack to tapping away on his homework, these scenes ensure a naturalness and relatability to remind us that of all the stories, this is the one that we can most likely have an influence in replicating with the young people in our lives to create better young men for the future.

Important, engaging and thought provoking, KING OF PIGS is another wonderful production from Red Line Productions.

KING OF PIGS

1 August - 1 September 2018

Old Fitz Theatre

https://www.redlineproductions.com.au/king-of-pigs

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