New Monologues for Men Bid by ' GEOFFREY COLMAN Bloomsbury Metuea Dana ‘An imeit of Bloomsbury Raising Ple BLOOMSBURYBirthday by Joe Penhall Yow have no concept whatsoever ofthe pin, of my pain ~ male pain man pain Birthday as fst performed at tbe Royal Court Jerwood Theatre ownstair, London, on 22 Tune 2012. Teas directed by Roger Mich. Contet Joe Penal’ tenth pay, «black comes is all bresking water, labour ‘and hospital beds, but middle-class parenting coul nt be more unusual ‘hough fortis the man and no he woman who i giving bit. Peball_ presens a very inodem couple who have decided 0 take it intr to Allow Lisa to focus on he carer, and sits up to husband Eto deliver ‘the goods tht time, Pehall has previously writen about paentbood, notably with Hounted Child, which explores the ter devastation of parental abandonment. There is nothing immaculte abou. Es final trimester: ‘How could you forget my fF*ingraspbey leat tea” he screams. Penhall presents, a delightfully Kafkaesqu vison, only of male conception but also te NHS systems that will support and ‘kimtely (a this ease) host the deliver Without an anaesthetist! Lis, his wife, isnot much suppor ether, and why should she be, she bore det frst chil. I's payback time. Women do'tseem to care ch tall realy, be It Lis or the wonderily bored midwife. Ed-willhaveta go it lone, Aigin dep and just et on With, He had beter not make fs Acting notes “ ‘This shor speech is all abou delivery. Jn both senses Technically it eques th actor to ral hold ofthe overarching ha-done-by agtmedt fand ply it in very direct way. Fo 8 comic thought ta land i has to be simple, and ceainly not played for laughs ~ that would be indulgent tnd it never ever works. This speech requires the sort ‘of preparation 2 ‘musician might bring toa musical score, twill need to be marked wp and mapped out. Comic timing isnot God-ive: it i the result of rigorous preparation. Ed does ater moan, but we sense inthis that at ny mite hi ather ety ladlsh observations will give way to something fr more hysterical, We the audience must sense this growing fear and despair, oi ye eal § is extended description of how repulsed he was by the vision of bis Fown wife in lebour must surely expose his inner though and dsring aug of his own son-o-be bithing moment. What wil his wife tine fhm thea?* pes woyse fr the man. Lisa (08 poor yout) You thre snd ring oh ‘eans whl cue congenial atte nor ae, rammaged ‘Smt yon nde ied of rs eee Nora Ne Si edn etn gn ap ain manag your or ol ae eat cited eno yy ve ne t= My Se tote Ihe cng er sogna sme o re Sing more) Menara se sano Sai eat Nac ore pes tsi Jarvebun sone peting nd get ete hp arpa teerse 8 ow uray tebe bah ‘seen in your life! It's a wonder I'm not completely gay by now. Because Tig yu ra ur eer jee nde yore wed imac fon You vil vgn by Gu oval Poser Copycight © Joe Peball2012 Black Jesus by Anders Lustgarten And do you know wy was called by that home? Because 1 decided who would be lleed and who would be condenned. "ook that responsiblity for others and now Fake it for myself Lam Black Jesus. 1 donot rn lack Jesus weceved its world premiere at the Finborough These, London, on 1 October 201.1 was directed by David Meret Context Zimbabwe inthe very neat fuure. Black Jesus, a militia Vader called Gabriel Chibame, Is being Interviewed by the Truth and Justice ‘Commission about the eroces of the Mugabe regime. Eunice (rom ‘he Commission) ask effet question in the knowledge that Chiba thi fae tal and must answer othe pat. In his publsed introduction, Tosgarten stats that his “intent was to use the play to beng up & for er bewy bore things that happened in Zimbabwe, things tht “Zinibabweans themselves licked the opportnity to tak about’, bu Mis ‘gia ideas were just oo difcl o stage. He ses this reworking of these original Ideas, the play Black Jesus, a8 sill quite wnfigching, but ‘Taseflly more philosophical tempt at presenting the complexiis of ‘leekly unresolved period of Zimbabwean history. Acting notes ‘Bunice Neube fs tying to interview the young Gabriel, She asks him {in the line preceding this speec) to tell her about bis fst mission {fe acces her of raking over Bis ashes to find tings to late burn him ‘nid ands ignores the question. He answers by avoidance and instead oerbes 1 domeate seen fom his past that acted asa tga fr his ‘more rece! violent behaviour. Part justification for his association with {he Green Bomber the speech i also tale ofa hori attack that ested bis pola! and personal allegiance, and subsequent infosmed! bis (cunent fearful philosophy. There is something plausible, almost inev- {abe abou Gaels reasoning an Se story ceraalycontextualizs his ‘determination and absolute need of ‘no going back. Lostarten sullyCan't Forget About You by David Ireland 1 mean brow have only jst met bt yo scerso normal ~ and you and your fay, tnd all he other people I met her, thin how did ny of You manage fa gow 3B oral? Can? Fogel Abd You rebdived its world pretaire a he Lytic Tbe, Beta, oo 19 May 2013 ad wes dreted by Cone Hil Context “Towgh abled @ ‘romani comedy’, Cont Forget Aton You doa ever reuyat om ne get themed hh ite satis, the Faure of North sand ca ety We encounter Ballast ivi, atwentystve jdt ol pelts graduat ai anode. Ch widow, Mata, who rather extraordinary invites herent his ie id then ino his bed Would you ike to ave sx with me?) This seems to be the perfect soliton frit oes without the complexities of long outship. Martha i ot ooking fr anything long lasing and eit Stevie. Or s0 I seems. But love, not ist, lures inthe wake of thei seraly-conveniet relationship. The ply's knowing humour is both touching and edgy i equal measure, notably the awkward generational exchanges betwoen the much older Martha, younger Stevi and his fay. This dificult tetory in that it inhabits the te-cring tuts of| tm inevitable and exasperated type of eis esiing within a ysfine- tinal, iu relationship where awkward sex not only provokes a set of emetic questions (/And fock the age dfeence’, bt by s0 doing also sates pail tres fom lan’ past an preset Acting notes Stevie i sleping with woman many yeas his senor, who stugees ‘ith her pas, er morality andthe death ofher husband: She is in therapy sad conesses to feling ike some haggard old ite’ as she stages, fn beeen ats of ver increasing depradaton to ive in the present. This inal rather new and overwhelming toto for young Stevie, whois jut 4 litle untetled by his lover's constant references to her dead husband Can't Forget About You by David Ireland Qt especialy when they have Sx) He needs to workout what Mara ‘SPehing for but also neds owark out what he i ataly searching for Ts he using Mara loving het? Red what wil is um 9? The fuk forte cto playing this eXtrorinay roles to ident simple toe though Steve's reasoning, Mest yeung:men otis age mould not Ge someene a old ster mother, le slon slesp wit hm 8x on {Bp avant of dplacement activity, ping his eon Bale or iit i pat ‘fat cnet jouney fovards cncovery? Once scovere, wile move ‘on fom Marti?22 New Monologues fot Men ‘isha yourg man Stevie I'm relly bappy with you Everytime Ise your face I fel like a better person. {fe like the person I was always mest fo be ink you're my sot ‘And ever bleedin anythig the ht tf me you, Ard ik You're teed Yes, seared oft ap difleese bara oe hk our hats eat ik seared you tac you more thn you thik thnk you're seed lng ninco eat staid feng hu, yo aid of gong ugh ar od ce ‘ean ‘And so am I. OR So am kw yu tink too yung | ow anything eho ve rier atontigs. at thao wat heppened eg eee ny titer dd how by is deh And watched ay sir dred om he lve fhe lif he toad sree) ‘ated al tat so ghee some ced, OK Tisom see: ‘An ont cr iti elonship atone yer ove years ot Yeu ofan yes wat Iwata ay ce And {am «Buddhist OK? Despte wt ose lay soit me, tama Buddhist : coon dBase sol ea now nd wt oe ia 20 Mar nd nae ite deb a ‘embrace the joy of being alive. ‘And my to is really sre right now an I think I'm going to fain. (Copyright © David ireland 2013 ‘Candide by Mark Ravenbill Some tine ego Js J conducted a certain slenf experiment p. Wthachambormaid Candide receiied its world premiere at the Swan Theatre, Royal ‘Shakespeare Company, Suatford-upon-AVon on 29 August 2013 and was ‘cto by Lyndsey Tuo. Context Wotare wrote the novel Candide in 1759 in an effort to ‘sate the views ofthe philosopher Lefbaiz, who had tated tha life was organized by a grand designer, and who methodically optioned diferent worlds before puting the human species inthe “the best fal possible wor. This is the stor ofa young aristocrat and his tutor oureying across the ‘worl hoping to prove that, in pit of bursa craety and natu dsestr, "everything i forthe bes Ravenhill ses a dramatic strture that shifts ‘between the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries with scenes se inthe rst, present and near fre, Acting notes 1 ‘The fst of two the speeches selected fom this play isa beautifully. pitched reminiscence that dances around both the past, with its cealy ‘Mentfiabe sate contol, and the cant time, in which the character Mike isn't even sure which comtnent he i on when he wakes up. The lois past that has created so much work for generations to come bat, in doing so, has neutered the preset by its opportunism and ultimate ‘burden. As ever with Raven's wor, it seems deceptively easy onthe age. The challenge here sto reveal a layered emotional state tat both ‘herishes and despises what hs gone before, bat also accepts the present While being ertical and ultimately bewildered by i, Fist we have @ speech written tht feels quite spontaneous, but i (in fit) not speech tall This is dicate ‘The second speech is that of Vote, who actualy speaks only once in the entire play. It was he Francois-Marie Aroue, Known as Vola), who was moved to write his philosophical tale Candide bythe loss ofCity Love by Simon Vinnicombe 1 fel ike asking hin to sta. To never leave this room. Bu I know that som he wil eave and. ity Lovereceived ts word premiere at the CLF Art Caft, Bussey Bullting, egkanh Rye on 10 September 2013 and was dite bj Sarah Bedi, Context ‘Simon Vinnicombe's rwe-bander is remarkable in that itis a old fashioned. boy-mees-gil romance tat with contemporary issues, Vinnicémbe's characters play out storybook moments more ypcally seen via Hollywood's vision of London in love ~ te brethles frst ‘ncoqatr that leads ws through antieipton, pasion and joy tothe nev table everyday problems that can all too easly ‘fact’ and destiny & relatinahp. Th play presents «sequence of sometimes heait-wrenching cstended monologues ‘Acting notes ‘The acting challenge Is quite clear. Such toryelling certainly requires & performance style tit doesn't inadvertently collapse ino the easy cliché (of Four Weddings anda Funeral textbook ‘rom-com method ~ al sighs tnd sd Took, Lovers and loving te often played as simple wath. The trap fr any actor isnot o accidentally pay earctr witha singe focas for sraightlined inner life, one that i arin or out af love. How will the dihes get washed or the bls ge paid? How will the iner joys of partnership be met alongside the nagging doubts of union? Presenting ‘young love ax dramate subject mater is potetally quite dul to watch, fori is actualy a ute ordinary (and lovely) experince. Flading the tension beeen iner doubts, fears and confslon alongside the bind ‘overwteiming experience of loving and being loved isthe challenge. “The staging ofthe original production was very spe, with the actos perched on separate boxes, only to meetin the middle when in love and to separate once more when ou of i. This simplicity should give a clear sense of performance syle but it does not give immediate solations tothe dreary danger of sting someone “in ler A suong dynamic ines world ‘of quttions and dois wil need to be consouced. ‘City Love by Simon Vianicombe "3 ye second speech, muh ter in tela, ps to isda amet re ee nos conto toe hr theese a bis acl wny of oni Te te ests dt Watarotor edt without pnio roy. The oveteigsese sarc train a opposed ti exctemet we by sting sac efecto ong ering) Sestlaced ye erpVnnivombe 33 ‘Monologues fr Men City Love by Simon Vi % trary London midsynid Tim Shes st ther. With her arms grossed, waitin for another bus. 9 fee ; : 2 gt fom he set sines dow emer ctl Thows ees. km et un oy pg when ed sie TES Herta os crosted ovr on ati he i. So nes en Yah chs ; ae So bdo ant sil : sipeitepe aan epee eee ‘When Id isa half fone Sor of Ha tering Hall Moro: ve G8 not tang eT dot ha by id to (Cant work ot if she's looking at me o looking where the bus is going. ‘She ides with the back of a hai in hr finger snd thumb. Looks ike she’s thinking sbout something ele, Someone else. ins tke conidence, don't they? . 1 fel hot Bit sweaty, Not aw seny way. Wow, Fuck me, She's prety. Ob my God, she's just, ‘Why is that every tie I ty and look ool just come aerss a3 8 complete prick? Forth fist mina osm lay tating But hen it becomes a Pm boting it gain. ‘What’ the worst that can happen? She gets offthebus, Lucy goes ' ‘Jim And she's gone, ook around thebus and everyone else knows, Even te driver knows ‘That Iam an apology fo a human being, Back to my hoe in the ety where noone een see me. Back 0 solving. Back 0 No. At the next stop. [get of te bus. And I un back towards the previous stop. Pm ‘overcome witha ters to se her again, Which almost vanishes a8 1 gt cose, Hes looking at Ley sting ata bus sop‘Hidden in the Sand by James Phillips: 1 ink eve bee walng fo ead ccer “andislm goto rst you That all * ‘you con do wth people. Sy tis my Dart and fou drop thn el ek Hiden he Sand recive ts wpe on 1 Oeiher 2013 athe “rae Sto, Londo: wa cece by th wre, ses Pali Context . A beaut Greek Cypriot refige, Alexandr tving in London and running a most evel soe, seduced one nigh by midl-aged Sonatas, dn avivard bu chi aglh lal stot, He sles smvunknown cll pst wheres she sein fo forget ber, Can such a acidntl coupling result in more hn jus acts one ‘Alexana must confront the mpmarit fhe ie befe Londo, ae fnhly locked ey, stored k's pet set of stort a emery tox. Jonatha, oo, mst Farol wit the histor patina nb way ite sever going to havea fate with his beet bat rouble, ‘woman. Jamey Pl’ play is «haunting evocation of ave tit inst simple and te, bo it is also e ghost try. where the fet of he past Iveta be reimagined and thought through anew Ts poetic, aia, slmost dreamy Irary seis offet by an erie everpreazat feeling that every enctnter we have in fi oly Oxo out canto. The two monologues selted fom this playare fom very diferent pont in Jonathan's eaonship with Alexandra, ‘Acting notes Jn performance terms at es, passion should never be plyed asa generic ‘xchall emotion but ater, a driven, exquste experience informed by very personal deta, often 0 fornscally harvested that it formation