Cock

Playwright:  Mike Bartlett

Venue: The Edge Theatre, 1560 Teller Street, Lakewood CO, 80214.

Running Time:  2 hours, 10 minutes (includes10 minute intermission).

Date of Performance:  Sunday, March 8, 2015.  

It’s the Edge.  Expect to be pushed to theatrical limits…to the “edge.”  It’s Cock.  

Yes; it’s about exactly what you think.  (Which is to say that this show is not about the barnyard bird.)  I don’t want to spoil the story, so I will only give you the description that the theater has used on its website:

John has been in a stable relationship with his boyfriend for a number of years. When they "take a break,” he accidentally falls in love with a woman. Torn between the two, filled with guilt and conflicting emotions, he doesn’t know which way to turn. This comic discussion of identity and sexuality becomes the ultimate cockfight as both the girlfriend and the boyfriend prepare for battle.

You have to buy a ticket to get the rest of the story.

That limited plot description may suggest to you that this is comedy.   While Cock does have some amusing moments, it is a serious drama about relationships, and about relationship stereotypes.  The humor is but a defense mechanism to hide the pain of working through the hard times we all must endure in relationships, whether we’re straight, gay, or other.

Think about the plot description above from the Edge.  John (brilliantly portrayed by Michael Bouchard) “accidentally falls in love with a woman.”  John is gay.  He falls in love with a woman.  

Accidentally.  

In our pitiful attempts to categorize people into clearly defined boxes, a gay man cannot fall in love with a woman.  Even if that were possible in the stereotypes we have created, it should not happen “accidentally.”  Breaking out of a gay stereotype would take determination, persistence, and perhaps even some level of compulsion.  But “accidentally?”  No.

Cock would have us reconsider our stereotypes, and perhaps discard them completely.  Playwright Mike Bartlett doesn’t really render those stereotypes useless, but he certainly shows them to be seriously flawed.  Bartlett would rather we focus on our love for another person, no matter the gender, and accept that all of us, gay or straight, can love individuals of either sex.  It’s not the genitalia that matters.  It’s the person we love that matters.

Bartlett’s script wisely avoids preaching.  Rather, the message is delivered through John’s pain as he tries to love two very different people.  He would have them both if he could, but he can’t.  He would choose one and break the other’s heart, but he can’t.  Bartlett drags us through John’s pain.  It’s an excruciating audience experience, but it’s also a masterpiece of story telling.  

Bartlett’s context for this dilemma (a gay man attracted to both sexes) is a novel way to show us something we already know.  Couples, gay or straight, are generally stable.  Couples, gay or straight, often become unstable when a 3rd person is introduced into the relationship.  Bartletts’ script asks John to decide who he is; a gay man or a straight man?

Even though he knows that it is the wrong question, Bartlett still asks it.  

The appropriate question for John is “who do you love?” Not what kind or what gender of people do you love.  Gay or straight doesn’t matter.  It’s the person.  The whole person is what matters, not just the “cock” or lack thereof.  

Since Bartlett doesn’t preach to us, he doesn’t ask that question.  He expects us to infer it.  

Cock fighting ring.  Photo credit:  San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The set design by Christopher Waller is simple yet bracingly effective.  It’s like a cage match fighting ring; a square enclosure surrounded by a black wall about three feet high, and with chain link trim around the top.  It’s almost certainly intended to resemble a real cock fighting venue (see photo above).  It’s a minimalist set that provides a stark backdrop for the psychological drama on the stage.  We have to use our imagination to see the London tube platform, the coffee shop, and all the other locations where the action takes place.  Our imaginations are likely to paint a more vivid image of a situation than anything Waller can create. Cock forces us to piece together the action in our minds, as the actors reveal to us what is going on with their dialogue.  Bartlett's script is sufficiently detailed so we can actually imagine the scene without a single prop.

Left:  Brian Landis-Folkins.  Right:  Michael Bouchard

Michael Bouchard’s John is exquisite; Bouchard embodies John’s ambiguous sexual orientation.  There is no flaw in his performance.  He is in love with two people and yet he is torn to shreds trying to betray neither of them.  He is at times a pitiful coward.  He is confused and afraid.  Bouchard holds nothing back; by the end of the play, he is exhausted, punch drunk from the fight, and unresponsive.

Brian Landis Folkins (M) is John’s long term lover.  M is his designation in the program, presumably because he is a Male.  We never learn his name.  M is not the easiest guy to live with; he regularly belittles and insults John.  Folkins' performance is powerful, focused and always convincing.  As things heat up in the second act, he had real tears running down his face.  That’s a very rare acting talent, but Folkins is that good.  He is M, and his fear of losing John is strong enough to create real tears.

Rachel Bouchard is designated in the program as W, presumably for Woman.  We never learn her name.  She is the only woman in the cast of four marvelous actors.  Her role requires her to have the requisite sex appeal to make John believe she could be right for him.  Bouchard brings the heat, and convinces not just John, but all of us, that she is right for him.  That said, though, Rachel Bouchard’s role is much more than a seductive femme fatale.  She must also have the courage to deal with the thee men in the cast without being overcome by the testosterone.  Bouchard clearly loves a fight, and she doesn’t get into the ring unless she intends to win.  She is a joy to watch, dishing out the dirt, taking on and taking down all three men in the cast.

Brian Landis-Folkins, Rachel Bouchard.

Chris Kendall is designated as F in the program, presumably because he is M’s Father.  Kendall enters the show in the second act, and he’s a volatile addition to the mix.  He’s there to support his son M, and given the choice of doing so civilly or rudely, he goes with the latter.  Kendall has just the right touch here to play both problem solver and saboteur.  

I should note the costume designer’s work, as it is truly striking.  Caroline Smith has Rachel Bouchard in a beautiful blue dress and black stockings in the second act.  The dress, and Rachel, looked exactly as they should based on the script.  Sexy.  Striking.  Feminine.  Fabulous.  Her costume totally sells the character and her story.

Cock is a powerful script in the hands of an excellent director named Robert Kramer.  He didn’t so much block this production as he choreographed it.  The actors move in dance steps, sometimes an intricate ballet, other times a beautiful waltz.  As the tension increases, the dance steps become the lunge, the feint, the thrust, and the parry of a fencing match.  Kramer’s Cock is truly a cock fight.  The cast is always looking for an opening to attack his or her prey and the audience is always anticipating a fatal blow. 

Cock reminds us why the theater is called the Edge.  It’s an intelligent, provocative script done by a first rate cast and crew.  Cock takes us to the Edge…puts us in the middle of tragically broken relationships, and dares us to watch the consequences.  This is edgy, smart, important theater…done extremely well.

NOTES:

This show contains adult language and adult situations.  Recommended for adults only.  That said, though, there is no nudity.

There is ample parking in front of the theater, as well as on surrounding streets (no meters).

PHOTO CREDITS:  The Edge Theatre unless otherwise credited.

TICKETS HERE

This show closes on April 5, 2015.

Pre or Post Show Dining Suggestion:  

I think dinner is ready...

I haven’t yet tried it, but Max’s Mexican Restaurant at 6999 E. Colfax is getting great reviews from the neighbors, including The Edge Theatre.  It’s a small, hole in the wall operation within easy walking distance of the Edge.  Reasonable prices and great Mexican food.  We’ll be stopping there for our next visit to the Edge.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Producer:  Rick Yaconis

Director:  Robert Kramer

Assistant Director:  Christian Mast

Production Coordinator:  Lara Maerz

Stage Manager:  Andrew KC Nicholas

Set Designer:  Christopher Waller

Lighting Designer:  Stevie Caldarola

Sound Designer:  Kenny Storms

Costume Designer:  Caroline Smith

CAST:

John:  Michael Bouchard

M:  Brian Landis Folkins

W:  Rachel Bouchard

F:  Chris Kendall