4/5 stars
Generic Male is shaping up to be a favourite at this year’s Fringe Fest with audiences discussing it long after they have left the theatre.
The show defies description in some ways, resembling a meta-comedy complete with audience participation at some times and straying into an interpretive dance choreography at others. It is perhaps best approached for its thematic conceits, as Generic Male is a vulnerable expression of alternative ways to be masculine unyoked from the tired and destructive modes men are steeped in from childhood.
The show’s objective is unclear, though. After the end, the cast entreats audiences to recommend it to people who “need to” see it, but do not explain to what end this recommendation will carry new viewers. If Generic Male is meant to be didactic or morally educational, it might need to shed some of its abstractions.
Although some of its ideas have not fully gestated, Generic Male is an emotional collage of the anxieties and absurdities of manhood. Often touching, funny, tenderhearted, impressive and sincere, it embodies all qualities that evade less ambitious productions.
Showtimes and locations for Generic Male are available at
winnipegfringe.com/performer-detail.aspx?kw=
PUSH+Physical+Theatre.
