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Serious study of a misogynist comedian.Summary
Rating
Good
Opening with a graphic description of a dead woman’s body discovered with a dislocated jaw, there’s no doubting the sincere intentions behind this exploration of a stand-up comedian’s publicity-seeking pushing of the boundaries of taste and decency, specifically in regard to the treatment of women. It’s also a very timely subject, as the escalating forces of “cancel culture” continue to dominate contemporary debate.
We’re presented with Rodney Black (Ben Willows), a rather weasley-looking figure with a moustache and man-bun. Rodney has made a career out of his provocative stand-up routines in which he portrays himself as an unreconstituted sexist, relying on the notoriety gained by deliberately shocking his audience with his caveman crudeness, and expecting an umbrella excuse of “I don’t really mean it – it’s a joke” to deflect meaningful criticism of his appalling act.
Rodney is aware that he’s treading a tightrope from which he could tumble at any moment into the waiting jaws of the “woke brigade”. Sadie Pearson’s play is intelligently structured in three acts illustrating the peaks and troughs of Rodney’s precarious professional life. In the first act he’s worried he may be losing the war against common decency, but in the second he doubles down on his dodgy material and scores a huge hit. The third act sees things collapse around him as real human tragedy punctures the bubble of his privileged monstrousness.
Rodney is accompanied on this career arc by his agent/manager (Bertie Taylor-Smith), a typically money-minded sort who encourages Rodney when the wind seems to be blowing in their direction, but whose moral emptiness quickly proves him a fickle and ineffective ally.
Alongside the three stages of Rodney’s journey we learn more about the violence inflicted by one of Rodney’s fans on a female victim (Merida Beasley). Has Rodney’s act directly inspired this awful act of violence?
All the ingredients for a thoughtful and arresting drama on important themes are present and correct. But a few things work against this laudable objective. The first is that Rodney’s act is not remotely funny. Say what you like about Gervais/Carr etc, but their routines are carefully and intelligently constructed, and they succeed in bringing audiences of thousands to their knees. Rodney doesn’t seem to have progressed beyond adolescent button-pushing, and his “jokes” are unsurprisingly rewarded with silence from the audience.
What set Rodney in this path of shallow toxicity? The producer’s blurb describes the play as an “interrogation”, but actually it doesn’t delve into this potentially fascinating question at all. And simply placing an act of deplorable violence next to Rodney’s “comedy” and asserting a causative relationship isn’t enough to meaningfully explore what the connection might really be.
I don’t doubt the integrity of Full Frontal Theatre’s intentions (they’re a female-led company) but despite throwing a spotlight on a serious and relevant subject, this play doesn’t quite match its achievements to its ambitions.
Written by: Sadie Pearson
Directed by: Hen Ryan with Sadie Pearson
Produced by: Grace Shropshire for Full Frontal Theatre LTD
Rodney Black plays at Lion & Unicorn Theatre until 21st December. Further information and booking are available here.
