Produced by Monstrous Theatre for La Mama Courthouse, Paul Mitchell’s new play You’re The Man deals with the difficult and highly relevant topic of domestic violence. Mark (Justin Bell) and Phoebe (Emma Choy) are the parents to two boys, Liam (Ryland Mitchell) and Jack (who is talked about but never seen). From the start there is an undercurrent that there is a tragic story that is going to be unpacked as the play develops.
Mark has been brought up with a clear distinction between the roles of men and women. He sees his role as the breadwinner and compares himself unfavourably to Phoebe’s father who is rich and successful. On the other side, he sees Phoebe’s role as “women’s work”. This limiting view leads to anger when these roles are not being fulfilled to his satisfaction and his outlet increasingly is one of violence.
The story is told through vignettes that jump back and forth time. These are effective in developing the character of Mark, and Bell’s performance is a strength of the show as he jumps from being likeable to despicable. Choy is also good as Emma and the central relationship of the marriage is believable and well portrayed.
The relationship between father and son is central to the understanding of the intergenerational transfer of violence and how this cycle can be broken. There is some good material between Mark and his father Reg (Paul Mitchell) and Liam has some strong moments too. More could have been made, however, of the father/son dynamics as a way of digging deeper into the root causes of family violence.
This could replace the counselling scenes, which are the weakest parts of the show. While these scenes with the characters undergoing psychological assessment provide insight into societal ways to prevent family violence, they are not as impactful as the scenes depicting the family itself.
The set is cleverly divided into the floor where most of the action takes place and a scaffold where Liam spends most of the play in isolation from the action, but also still feeling the impacts. Violence is also well-handled with red lighting and darkness giving the audience the feel of violent acts without having to see them. The direction by Theresa Borg keeps the action moving and handles the scene changes smoothly with the use of furniture and props to make switches.
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There are several musical numbers that fall flat and don’t add much to the overall story. When this reviewer attended, they also didn’t get much of an audience reaction. Like the counselling scenes, the play would be tighter and stronger without them. The ending does feel a bit too neat given the events of the play and it lessens the impact of what has preceded it. While there are some scenes that the play could do without, the strongest parts make for an uncomfortable and thought-provoking look into why domestic violence is such a stain on our society.
You’re The Man by Paul Mitchell by Monstrous Theatre
La Mama Courthouse
Director: Theresa Borg
Composer and Sound Design: Simon Mason
Set and Costume Design: Filipe Filihia
Lighting Design: Finnegan Comte-Harvey
Movement Consultant: Freya List
Intimacy Consultant: Eve Morey
Cast: Justin Bell, Emma Choy, Paul Mitchell, Ryland Mitchell, Miles Paras, Philip Hayden
Tickets: $10-$40
You’re The Man will be performed until 15 September 2024.
