Reviewed by Paul Treasure
Donkey Kong. This play is about Donkey Kong. Not to be flippant, this play is about a great deal more than Donkey Kong, but Donkey Kong is a recurring device within the play, whose symbolism becomes more apparent as the play develops.
Fag/Stag has an intriguing structure. At its heart, it is two separate monologues covering the same couple of days in the lives of two friends, performed simultaneously. Structured this way we get a glimpse into two different mindsets and experiences, as the way they interpret the events around
them sometimes coincide, but just as often clash in hilarious counterpoint.
The two characters, Jimmy, played by Will Bartolo, and Corgan, played by Shaun Johnston, are best mates who are recounting the couple of days leading up to the wedding of a formerly close friend (and Corgan’s ex). The play starts with Jimmy deciding to dump his boyfriend four days before the wedding and then follows the utter chaos of the two characters’ lives as they deal (mostly badly) with what is going on around them.
The two actors take this material and run with it. They have a keen understanding of how to play it. They Never overdramatise the events but keep their delivery truthful. Self-aware enough that each bad or stupid decision is played with an eye-rolling disdain at their own stupidity, but always owning their mistakes, and rarely trying to justify them as anything else. This choice of delivery adds to the play as it means we are never laughing at the characters, we are always laughing with them.
The most refreshing part of the play is that the two characters are best mates, one of whom is straight, the other gay. This particular dynamic is one that is very rarely explored, with the notable exception of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, and one which if approached with brutal truth and honesty, can be, and often is, a gold mine of comic potential. And brutal honesty this play certainly gives us. It pulls no punches, exploring and comparing the hidden lives of the two men. Contrasting, for example, Corgan’s attempts and failures to connect with various women with Jimmy’s successful but ultimately meaningless and disappointing liaisons with various men. The rejections are keenly felt by the audience, from Corgan over-hearing two women dismiss him because he’s too old, to Jimmy being told to his face by a Grindr hook-up that he’s a great photographer because his profile pic makes him look way more attractive than he does in real life.
The climax of the play is beautifully written and beautifully played, as the two friends sit on separate tables at the wedding, each individually realising that they are the only non-couples at the table, and seeking refuge on the roof, where they discover that the other one also has had that exact same thought. Through all their disagreements and differences, they have more in common with each other than they do with all the couples they are surrounded by. There was a moment when this reviewer was afraid that the play was about to head in a different, more Hallmark, but way less truthful direction, but they stayed the course and the play ends with the couple dancing with each other with joyful abandon.
Donkey Kong. For ten years these two guys have been playing Donkey Kong. For ten years they have been stuck on the same level of Donkey Kong. They haven’t given up, they will continue to play this same level until they finally crack it and move up. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. It’s the playing of the game that is important, and as long as they have each other to play the game alongside, they’ll be OK.
Reviewer Note: Tickets for this review were provided by the theatre company.
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