Cock

‘To be or not to be, that is the question’ – Hamlet’s famous speech about choice, action/in-action, conscience, and mortality in many ways encapsulates Mike Bartlett’s Cock. Described as a modern ‘metrosexual play’, Cock premiered at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2009, and subsequently has been performed in many parts of the world including New York, Vancouver, and Sydney. It has always attracted a fair bit of controversy, starting with the original poster being banned by London Transport. LGBTQI+ criticism and analysis has been equally divided, some for and some against, yet all admiring Mike Bartlett’s sharp and witty dialogue.

John (Stephen Schofiled) is 28 years old, the younger in a seven-year relationship with ‘M’ (David Daradan). When we meet them in the first of three ‘Chapters’, the relationship is in crisis; despite a high degree of sexual attraction, they do not communicate; they agree to break-up and John leaves. ‘Chapter Two’ sees John meet ‘W’ (Maya Carey) and has his first sexual encounter with a woman, which changes his life completely – he falls in love with ‘W’. ‘Chapter Three’, John has returned to ‘M’. A dinner has been arranged in which all three have agreed to thrash it out over who will John be with, with the added pressure of ‘M’s father ‘F’ (James McClusky-Garcia) as a last-minute guest. Who or what does John choose, a ‘gay’ relationship because it is ‘easier’, or a ‘heterosexual’ relationship which brings a greater sense of fulfillment, or no one, is the climax of this piercing and provocative drama; and true to Hamlet’s, John’s indecision is the most frustrating and yet poignant reminder of modern sensibilities and vulnerabilities.

Cock is unlike any other play you may have seen; it is extremely relevant in regard to the contemporary issue of sexual and personal identity. John is the only character with a name, giving him a personal identity. ‘M’, ‘W’, and ‘F’ do not have names, a deliberate dramatic device to make them representative of all of us who speak about sexual identity in non-personal and general terms. John, however, seems incapable of deciding on his identity – to be or not to be – and is paralysed by his indecision.

This is an excellent production by Boyslikeme Productions, directed by Darrin Redgate with a terrific ensemble of actors – with a particular ending that is intriguingly and successfully ambiguous. At 100 minutes, without and interval, it is taunt, quick-paced, stylish (the whole enclosed sandpit looking like a cockpit), challenging, funny, and at times wonderfully audacious – the fully-clothed sex scenes are a triumph of on-stage eroticism and humour.

Highly Recommended

Tony Knight

Photographer: Rebekah Ryan