Fucking Men is Fucking Back!

Last August The Kings Head in Angel, Islington rocked London’s independent theatre scene with the contentiously named ‘Fucking Men’. 

 


It was a show that the average gay man couldn’t get away from – posters of the show appeared above urinals, in show programmes in gay magazines and on gay websites. There was even a billboard on Piccadilly Circus (ok, there wasn’t).

It certainly garnered attention, and the show was so popular that the non-for-profit theatre extended the show into September.

Now in December, the show is back! The gays rejoiced/squealed – and I was one of them.

According to Adam Spreadbury-Maher, Artistic Director of the King’s Head Theatre, the show “has undergone changes, retaining artistic elements whilst streamlining the show from a cast of 10 down to 3 for a sustainable touring future”.

I really enjoyed the original show – it was an interesting insight into gay sex practices behind closed doors, with compelling stories, relatable characters and a nice bit of full frontal nudity on display! But this streamlining certainly builds on this really strong premise – I was sad to leave the theatre at the end of the show.

The entire show rests on the shoulders of three strapping young guys – playing numerous characters and having very little, if any, time to flip between them. Richard De Lisle plays ‘the tutor’, ‘the other guy’, ‘the playwright’ and ‘journalist’. I really enjoyed his portrayal of ‘the journalist’ – a well-known TV interviewer who lived a closeted life and who had lost his ‘assistant’ to HIV.

Harper James played ‘the soldier’, ‘the married guy’ and ‘the actor’. It may have been my eye sight – but I didn’t realise at first that he was ‘the married guy’ – which highlights what a versatile actor he is (no pun intended).

Haydn Whiteside – the twink of the piece, plays ‘the escort’, ‘the uni student’ and ‘the porn star’. Three similar characters which he successfully managed to differentiate from each other. Not easy when the play moves from scene to scene at such a pace.

‘Fucking Men’ is fucking great. A true piece of gay theatre that appeals to a wide audience and a refreshing Christmas watch. And it taught me one thing – I’m not having enough sex!

 

• Fucking Men is running from the 5th December through to the 9th January at The King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, N1 1QN.

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