Theatre / Masculinity
Review: How to Beat up your Dad, Alma Tavern Theatre
How To Beat Up Your Dad is the tale of one young man’s journey through manhood: from a meek teenager looking for the secret to losing his virginity to a young man stealing Yakults, searching for happiness and finally standing up to his own dad.
The debut piece from Caravan Guys describes itself as a cocktail of spoken word, music and storytelling. This dark comedy tackles the subject of toxic masculinity and the scars of trauma. It is brash, angry and laid bare (quite literally, with nudity from the start).
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Albert Haddenham and Theo Mason Wood emanate all the volatility of frustrated young men, with an abundance of anger and no understanding of how to make peace with it. This highly physical performance teeters on the edges of chaos. The familiar scenes of boys tearing into one another in a bid for male dominance is softened by segments of beautifully eloquent writing and tender moments.
“I’ve been thinking about why I want to make everyone feel small and pathetic and I think it’s because of you”. This piece explores how a fractured relationship between a son and his father, influences his relationships with all other males and continues the dysfunctional cycle.
The subject is so relevant and Caravan Guys’ bold approach will be highly relatable for many young men. Whilst Albert and Theo open up a lot interesting discussion, the play lacks an avenue of hope or offering of strategy to help young men like themselves to break the cycle.
As a debut performance, this is a strong start and, with a director to craft the piece and hone their raw talent, could be a very powerful piece of theatre. These two musician-turned-actors have natural talent and charm, and it speaks volumes about their intentions and heart that they offer up a post-show drink and chat to anyone affected by the issues they’ve raised.
If you missed them at the Alma Tavern, take a trip to The Brighton Fringe this May.
How to Beat Up Your Dad was at the Alma Tavern Theatre on February 11 & 12. For more from Caravan Guys, visit www.facebook.com/pg/caravanguystheatre/about
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