Blaming, patronising, and throwing a full-blown tantrum — the cast of White Men excel in all the worst ways.
White Men depicts five (you guessed it) white men and their response to an imminent natural disaster.
Their attempts to delay the inevitable devolve into an increasingly absurd and laughable display of one-upmanship
The acting was undoubtedly the highlight of the production.
The physical posturing and pronunciation behind each line was so methodical, it did justice to the term ‘‘peacocking’’.
Each character embodied a trait of the stereotypical male executive: knowledge, greed, power, fear and ego.
The entire cast encapsulated their respective traits to a T, down to the tiniest mannerism and idiosyncrasy.
It was easy to tell who was who without being explicitly told.
Whistles, hip flasks, gold pouches — the cast found an impressive number of ways their traits could take physical form.
Party horns that doubled for cigars were especially clever.
The choice to stage the production within a circular seating arrangement was ingenious.
Not only did it feel like I was watching some twisted caricature of Parliament, it also gave the audience a slightly varied performance depending on where they were sitting — which demands repeat viewings.
I was especially pleased that each character was given their own chance to shine.
Each character felt like they were compensating for something, their own inferiority complexes hopelessly dictating every move.
What stood out was the interactions between characters and their competing bravado.
Different insecurities could compound and ultimately implode, such as power and fear naturally butting heads, which created great gags.
It also made the inevitable point at which they turned on each other all the more satisfying.
The final production is at 8pm tonight.
