Masterclass REVIEW 17 June 2023 ****

THEATRE

Written by Feidlim Cannon, Gary Keegan (Brokentalkers) & Adrienne Truscott.

Rising Festival

At Malthouse Theatre, until 17 June 2023

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars: ****

This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 24 June 2023.KH

Masterclass-Adrienne Truscott & Feidlim Cannon-pic supplied.

  

Masterclass is a cunning two-hander that is an inspired merging of hilarity, satire and parody with a clear-eyed, often punishing commentary on gender politics in performance.

 

Feidlim Cannon, part of Dublin company, Brokentalkers, and New York, feminist performer, Adrienne Truscott, wage a head-on assault on the fraught topic of gender issues in theatre. Truscott hilariously assumes the role of “a great male artist” whose style is “Hemingway-esque”, and who proves himself to be a self-important, abusive misogynist. Cannon plays his fawning interviewer – clearly a besotted fanboy – who skips and stumbles, gesturing histrionically as he recaps the “great artist’s” work and career, his critics’ comments, his violent male characters, his victim female characters, and claims of his violence against women.

 

The artist retorts that the violence is against his female characters, not against women. Well, if it were just the occasional female character then that argument might wash, but when it’s all of his female characters? Nah!

 

The broad comedy of the initial interview, with its ridiculously, intentionally amateurish wigs and costumes, segues into a disturbingly real re-enactment of his aggressive rehearsal techniques during which Truscott, as the “great artist”, throttles Cannon who plays the interviewer who, in turn, is playing a female actor. The shock and menace are real, but we are better equipped to process such violence against women because a woman is playing the male aggressor. Clever. Our response, and any commentary, can be about the issue of male violence rather than about the specific, violent event.

 

The political argument escalates until it becomes a battle between Truscott and Cannon about the making of this show, Cannon’s unwillingness to “do the work”, read the feminist books and, more broadly, engage with the political issues of gender in art. Meanwhile Cannon is sliding into self-doubt and the entire interaction comes to a head when Truscott states that Cannon – and, in fact, all men – must leave the stage to make space for those who have been side-lined for – well – forever.

 

Truscott and Cannon are versatile and exceptional theatre performers, and this collaboration of Truscott, Cannon and Brokentalkers is provocative, virtuosic and inspiring. In just 60 minutes, this pair makes us laugh, think, gasp and argue. You’ll be mentally wrestling with this performance all the way home.

 

by Kate Herbert

Writers | Feidlim Cannon, Gary Keegan and Adrienne Truscott

Cast | Feidlim Cannon, Gary Keegan and Adrienne Truscott

Creative Producer | Rachel Bergin

Movement Director | Eddie Kay

Costume Design | Sarah Foley

Lighting Design | Dara Hoban

Set Design | Ellen Kirk

Sound Design | Jennifer O'Malley