Men

Written by Royal Court Young Writer and Bruntwood Prize nominee Miriam Battye, Men is a deceptively simple black comedy focusing on Frank, a young man attempting to write a novel while coping with the strains of his unhealthy relationship with Syrus, an older man. Themes of bullying and abuse are present from the start, but as the play develops it becomes clear something altogether more troubling is afoot.

The cast make good use of a sparse set and the performances are mostly excellent; even if Harrison Clark’s sensitive Frank remains a—no doubt deliberately—frustrating character to grapple with. Tom Rawlinson is fantastic as the intolerably smug, sneering Syrus, his strutting presence slowly morphing into something distinctly more sinister and unhinged. Letty Thomas, meanwhile, provides most of the comic relief as Frank’s bumbling friend Suze, spewing out awkwardness with every spluttered consonant. And yet there is also an aching loneliness to her character that is somehow brilliantly captured in her flustered appearance. It is perhaps unfortunate that the brevity of the play leaves her motivations unexplored.

An abrupt ending leaves the drama feeling curiously incomplete, creating a sense of a fascinating story left somehow unfinished. This may have been a conscious decision on the part of the writer, allowing us a fleeting glimpse into a troubling situation that provides no cosy resolutions. While an interesting approach, as a piece of theatre it’s undeniably unsatisfying. Nevertheless, this is strong, worthwhile stuff, well written and executed and containing the unmistakable glint of genuine theatrical talent.