Review: (Toronto / Theatre) Cock

(photo by Kari North)

Ringside seats a must-have for Studio 180’s cockfight
by Christian Baines

To label Cock with the cliché of ‘thought-provoking’ would be selling it short. Writer Mike Bartlett tackles the perennial question of fluid sexual identity, as John (Andrew Kushnir) leaves his boyfriend of seven years (Jeff Miller) for a woman (Jessica Greenberg), then returns to him soon after, all while continuing his newfound heterosexual affair on the side… or not. Is this a simple question of liking both (‘Yes, but not at the same time, John!’ his unnamed boyfriend chides), or is John’s sexuality too complex for the comfortable labels of a post-Stonewall world?

Taken on its own, Cock is simply a magnificent play. Bartlett’s rapid fire exchanges elegantly tell the required back story with all the nuance and tension that has built up within each relationship. Yet it never plummets into a shouting match. We enjoy a rapport with each of the four characters that helps us empathize with their point of view. The male tendency to cling to sexual identity is well and truly in the firing line, as are the traditional, ‘aspirational’ notions of a heteronormative family. Even the parental expectations placed on Queer children don’t escape cross examination. 

A fellow audience member shared with me some hours after the performance, his uncertainty as to who the ‘villain’ was supposed to be. Yet that’s part of what’s so magnificent about Cock. There is no villain, simply a variety of needs, feelings and points of view. Bartlett sustains this ambiguity right to the play’s end and it leaves us on a note that, if not entirely satisfying, feels nonetheless credible and real. This ultimately is much more important and fitting for such a play.

With that said, it’s a little odd to see the producers apparently take the very ‘sides’ the play denies us with their choice of artwork to decorate the foyer. It’s not a bad choice (and has no bearing on the play itself). It’s just an odd one, when one of Cock’s greatest charms is its refusal to preach or evangelize a particular viewpoint.

The performances are uniformly excellent, with Joel Greenberg expertly keeping his director’s hand hidden through most of the minimalist production. The characters mercifully retain their British accents, with only a few missteps taking us on momentary jaunts to Ireland (and who minds that, really?).

Cock raises questions about sexual identity we rarely enjoy facing – particularly as men, disproportionately encouraged as we are to cling to our sexual labels. There have been many arguments around the appropriateness of the word Queer, and around the existence of sexual identities between the traditional markers of Gay, Bi or Straight. It’s something that is easy for progressives to acknowledge and advocate in principle, but much harder in practice. Why? Well, as Cock reminds us, when there are human hearts and relationships on the line, it really isn’t as simple as erasing the boundaries. Yet if those feelings exist, what might we be willing to surrender or change for them? What must we perhaps change?

@XtianBaines

Another great strength of Cock is that it never talks down to us. At a time when ‘Queer’ theatre can sometimes seem pretentious, tediously academic or just plain self-absorbed, it’s terrific to see such a play put so simple and credible a human face on these ideas. It’s equally terrific to see it staged so well in Toronto.

If Cock is the future of Queer theatre, you’ll want ringside seats to every bout.

April 4 - 27