Theatre / clowning
Review: Big Boys Don’t Cry, Tobacco Factory Theatres – ‘a bold and brilliant comic project that probes into the male psyche’
The father of modern psychology, Sigmund Freud once said to Marie Bonaparte: “The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, is ‘What does a woman want?’” It is a pity that he did not ask the question ‘what does a man want?’
This is the central theme of Big Boys Don’t Cry, the latest production from Opposable Thumb Theatre, spearheaded by the dynamic duo Dik Downey and Adam Blake and on a three night run at Tobacco Factory Theatres.
Downey and Blake, the co-founders of the Bristol-based theatre collective, are no strangers in the performing arts scene. The former has earned every conceivable stripe for his extensive repertoire as a cabaret artist, escapologist, clown and a master puppeteer, while the latter has a professional acting background and has worked with notable theatre companies such as Mufti Games, Beyond The Ridiculous, and The Adventure Bureau.
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The duo has been collaborating since 2013 and their latest project fixes their gaze on little charted territory: an exploration of what makes men tick.
The action of Big Boys Don’t Cry kicks off when Dik and Adam walk onto the darkly lit stage dressed in shorts and shirts, and start eating crisps as if it were a synchronised sport, much to the mirth of the audience.
But our laughter soon turns to stunned incredulity when two grown men begin playing with a collection of shiny, plastic action men figurines. “How do you fix an action man if it’s broken?” is the question posed.
The broken action man is fixed in the flickering glow of a candle. Underneath the silliness and slapstick, a seamless thread of existential inquiry is woven through the narrative.
Photo: Opposable Thumb Theatre
The set also includes a projector screen, a synthetic cadaver and a set of surgical instruments. The famous 17th century painting, Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp hangs on the projector screen and the duo is quick to remind the audience that it is a print.
The play moves in a surreal trajectory with every passing minute as the pair dissect the cadaver. Instead of extracting organs, they remove bags of crisps and balloons.
The final and third act has the feel of a WWE wrestling match, with the pair stripped to their underpants. They enter the ‘arena’ one after the other to the voiceover of a compère.
After the intro music and the cheers from the crowd subside, Downey and Blake lock horns and start trading insults against each other. At the third round, the bout is synchronised with a poignant montage projected onto the backdrop, to an expansive music score.
Photo: Opposable Thumb Theatre
The play runs seamlessly, without an interval. In hindsight, that was of paramount importance, as a break would have impeded the flow of the play. Quirks of modern life such as being glued to tech devices and putting children to bed over the phone generated laughter from the thoroughly entertained audience.
Opposable Thumb is blessed with the collaborations of a gifted creative cohort which include the director Emma Williams, the scriptwriter Vic Llewelyn, the producer Ali Robertson and the talent behind the weird and wonderful costumes – Kelly Jago.
Big Boys Don’t Cry is a play that does not shrink from asking uncomfortable questions on ‘what maketh a man?’ It is also a sincere meditation on masculinity; a bold and brilliant production which pulls no punches.
Big Boys Don’t Cry is at Tobacco Factory Theatres on January 26-29 at 8pm. Tickets are available from www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com. Opposable Thumb are also bringing Coulrophobia back to Bristol this Autumn, with a series of dates at The Wardrobe Theatre.
Main photo: Opposable Thumb Theatre
Read more: Big Boys Don’t Cry… do they?
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