** Jock Night is a world premier of a stage show which has now been broken into two-acts from Hive North, written by Adam Zane **
Ben (David Paisley) is a forty-something fan of Victoria Wood who is on a path to eventually find love in a world of chemsex, jockstraps and poppers. As the nights get rowdier (yes, that’s a Christina Aguilera Dirrty reference), he’s surrounded by Twinky boys who don’t even know what Acorn Antiques from their Steps.
Kam (Sam Goodchild) is self-proclaimed ‘fabulous and undetectable’, hiding his struggles with addiction by being the life and soul of the party. Gym-bunny Russ (Matthew Gent) is gaining Instagram followers but would rather follow Kam. AJ (Levi Payne) is young, naive and just off the bus from Doncaster (home of Tan France, if there are any Queer Eye fans reading this); thrown headfirst (or should that be head-fist)into a night he will never forget.
With a Grindr message from a fading porn star (or “porn performer” as is mentioned twice), Ben must decide whether to follow his heart or keep the party going.
The setting of the play being in Manchester’s Gay Village roped me in, especially as it explores modern gay relationships in a world fuelled by vanity, “hashtag instagay” and boozy drag brunches. The set – designed by Dick Longdin – is Ben’s bedroom, bricked walls exposed making it very clear where in the UK the action is set. The set consists of a bookshelf of Queer books and also box sets (Will and Grace fans will appreciate this). The attention to detail was rather refreshing, and it felt authentic. The decorative photographs denote a further sense of authenticity of affluent Mancunian gay men who engage in artistic photography. From the get go, there are jock straps galore. Blue ones, leather ones, red ones – this is exactly what is advertised on the tin. There’s no mincing (sorry, not sorry) what is happening here: there’s a gay chill out where sex is number one of every participant’s lists. We are given some Kylie, Coronation Street, and all things homosexual. There’s not a poppers bottle out of place, as the narrative weaves between the sex-fuelled protagonists an their seemingly addictive habits imploding into friendships and relationships. There are frank discussions of being HIV Undetectable (and PreP) which I welcomed, and there’s a conscious effort to remove stigma that those with HIV+ status face. The scenes depicting this, and the aftermath of being diagnosed were handled with sensitivity and also felt compelling. All of the members of the cast form a unique bond, and the audience joins them on the twists and turns of being in a city where there’s just so much happening – both in and out of the club and darkrooms. Whereas what I did like about this piece is that these men are in need of community, and company in equal measures. The way they are intertwined, and their feelings are shared in an honest and considered way.
Those out of the Canal St (or the heart of the Gay scene bubble) may take a while longer to twig on some of the cultural references. These are, to some degree, lacking some of omitted soap opera references such as iconic Rovers fire of 2013 where Sunita Alahan perishes. I’m glad that this play exists, and although I’d have loved for the Hive North team to have extended their research inclusion of more non-white references (such as Global Drag Artist Lady Bushra, or Vanta Black) and perhaps venture into Manchester’s splendid Curry Mile. Having said this, I do think that this play’s heart is in right place – or indeed the centre of Ben’s flat. The overall direction within the piece was strong (which happened to also be directed by the writer Adam Zane), with all the action in the bedroom meaning that there was a possibility to find this overexposed in one setting, though the effervescing dialogue refrained from creating that for the performance I saw.
It’s a strong debut in a relatively new theatre venue (formerly called The Actor’s Centre) which left me moved, and quite perked up after a brief period of illness. This show is a tonic for the soul in these Autumn nights draw in; and as for the LGBTQIA+ community, we desperately need support from our allies and members alike in order to widen community networks that better reflect our lived realities and discourses on the main stage.
Extended until Nov 11: https://www.sevendialsplayhouse.co.uk/shows/jock-night
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