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SINGAPORE : Men seem to have it easy. Unlike their female counterparts, they are free from having to go through that ‘time of the month’, childbirth, pre-menstrual stress, and menopause.
Being a guy is like a walk in the park compared to being a member of the fairer sex. Or is it?
Besides having to live up to all sorts of gender stereotypes, men have to contend with being labelled metrosexual or considered gay if they behave or do anything that is considered less than “manly.”
Addressing the above predicaments faced by the male species in today’s modern context and also embracing all things male is the latest play by playwright Desmond Sim, “Manhood”.
Often funny yet poignant at times, the dramedy staged by ACTION Theatre and directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall is largely engaging thanks to Sim’s witty script.
Featuring about 15 different scenes, “Manhood” explores the gamut of different issues a typical male goes through. The testosterone-filled play also looks at men in relation to women, ensuring that they don’t get left out in the cold.
From the early stages of being a baby to grumpy old men, no stone is left unturned as everything from light hearted topics like circumcision, hormonal teenagers and dating to more serious matters such as homosexuality, fatherhood and the double standards faced by men as family breadwinners are covered.
The mostly male cast consists of actors Lim Yu-Beng, Claude Girardi, Dwayne Tan and Jo Tan - the rose among the thorns. Having to play multiple characters meant that the actors have the gruelling and schizophrenic task of switching between roles at breakneck speed.
This also resulted in most of the costume changes taking place on stage between scenes - by the men only, of course - which disrupted the flow of the play.
Rated R18 for adult themes, expect dialogue dripping with innuendo relating to the male anatomy.
While this play is not the male version of the “Vagina Monologues” which cheekily gets referenced here, having a non-narrative storyline allowed each of the actors to have their own monologue and shine in the spotlight.
A song and dance routine celebrating the benefits of being male is a total hoot and look out for the scene featuring the actors portraying statues of Rodin’s The Thinker, Michelangelo’s David and The Discobolus of Myron, the Greek discus thrower. As three of the world’s most famous “men”, watch them ham it up as they argue over which of them is THE perfect man.
"Manhood" runs till September 19 at ACTION Theatre's The Room Upstairs.
- CNA/il
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