Beating McEnroe

Jamie Wood likes Bjorn Borg. A lot. The long-haired, icy cool tennis star was Wood’s childhood hero, representing just the sort of man he and his older brother wanted to be. In an attempt to honour this icon and vanquish the lingering demons of youthful defeat, Jamie is once again preparing to face Borg’s fiercest opponent: John McEnroe.

Tennis, competition and different notions of masculinity all collide in a piece that aces gleeful silliness. As a stage for this showdown between rivals Borg and McEnroe, Wood has created a tennis court of sorts – a charmingly homemade construction of green towels and taped-on white lines, with all the playful invention of childhood. Audience members are repeatedly invited into this space, either as assistants, supporting actors or the central players in Wood’s brilliantly bonkers meditation on competition and control. The individual achievement furiously pursued by players like Borg and McEnroe is contrasted with the collective effort that brings this match to life.

Wood’s performance is open and generous, offering the very gentlest of interactions. It manages to be deeply personal, touching on Wood’s own memories, ambitions and insecurities, in the same gesture that it invites spectators in. While the laughs are almost relentless, there is plenty of intellectual muscle beneath the wacky surface chaos, touching lightly on love, rivalry and what it might mean to be a man in our society. But the silliness provides the real treat. Beating McEnroe offers a vital dose of joy, leaving behind a grin as wide as the champion’s outstretched arms.