What does it mean to Be a Man?
RibbitRePublic Theatre audaciously takes on this question and others about modern-day masculinity in this four-man show.
A series of vignettes, some humorous and others more serious, explore the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the male sex, particularly young men coming of age. Issues addressed range from masturbation to gay-bashing and gun violence. The show is high energy, ripe with plenty of testosterone and “boys will be boys” raunchiness, but it also presents a much needed sensitive side to manhood that often gets cast aside in pop culture. Conceptually, the show is on target as there is a need now more than ever to candidly talk about how society raises boys into men as well as the pervasive ties between men and violence. The performance also has a tongue-in-cheek self-awareness of ever-changing sex and gender norms. In what could be a nod to Planned Parenthood, one of the actors jokes during the show that people don’t use the term STD (sexually transmitted disease) anymore but rather STI (sexually transmissible infection).
Be a Man‘s execution at times was difficult to follow with some of the lines hard to hear. Its laughs also occasionally relied more on toilet humor than wit. Overall, the show’s hopeful spirit makes it a worthy contender and the eye candy certainly doesn’t hurt its cause either.
Have you seen Be A Man? Comment below and let us know what you think!
