Greg McGee’s play lifts the lid on male
team sport. Rugby is arguably the most physically confrontational of
all team sports. This is reflected in the play’s high intensity.
Moreover, the fact that the play is set in New Zealand is
significant because rugby is without question their national sport.
How any person reacts to a play depends on
individual background and in this production it matters more than in most
plays. I have played team sport, not rugby, and the blinkered
attitudes, the superficial sarcastic banter and depersonalisation of
women are portrayed most accurately. If you are female and have no
interest in sport, you will witness group male behaviour at its
worst. Although you will see an eyeful of fit young men in the
opening dressing room scene.
Dominik Golding in the lead role gives an
exceptional performance trapped in his rugby roots but becoming sick
of the brutishness it engenders. The scenes with Clean (Kristian
Jenkins) who represents all that is cynical in the game are the
strongest features of the play. Some of the characters are
stereotypes, the Irish joker for example. A powerful drama lightened
with a touch of humour.
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