Cock at Ambassadors Theatre – Review – ★★
Proof that a lot can change in 13 years, this revival of Mike Bartlett’s Cock feels surprisingly out of touch with contemporary views on sexual identity.
Cock | Ambassadors Theatre | Until 4 June 2022
You can totally see how this got made – a starry cast combined with a provocative title and theme, Cock is the type of show that producers expect will draw large audiences back to the theatre in this (kinda) post-Covid world we find ourselves in. And undeniably, West End theatre – theatre in general – needs this kind of headline production to get bums back on seats, so we should all hope that Cock is a great box office success.
Unfortunately, the danger you face when reviving a hot-topic show from a little more than a decade ago, is that discussions and views on that hot-topic might have moved on. Back in 2009, writer Mike Bartlett had something to say to challenge the sexuality classifications which were confining people to narrow boxes – and, undeniably, biphobia (or at the very least a reluctance to engage with the realities of bisexuality) was a worthy (and even, sadly, necessary) topic to explore. Strangely, though, in 2022 Cock almost feels like it’s on the wrong side of the argument – or doesn’t quite know what argument it’s making.
Jonathan Bailey (of W1A and, most prominently, Bridgerton) plays John, content (we’re to assume – there’s not much preamble) in his long-term relationship with Taron Egerton’s (Kingsmen, Rocketman) ‘M’, and hitherto identifying as a gay man – until he meets ‘W’ (Jade Anouka), and to whom he develops a physical attraction.
Bailey plays John as something of an arrogant poseur – it’s hard to see what draws either ‘M’ or ‘W’ to him so strongly, but the drama of the piece nevertheless revolves around their attempts to ‘win’ him for themselves. Interestingly, the topics of open relationships, polygamy or throupling never arise. The sole question for John – asked by his suitors and of himself – is whether he is gay, or something else.
The performances from the leads – Bailey and Egerton are the top-line draws – are fine, though they never transcend the material. Anouka’s arrival onstage brings a welcome fresh energy, as does that of Phil Daniels as ‘F’, Egerton’s father who turns up at an already intensely awkward dinner. In fact, Daniels might be the MVP of the piece – his turn is the least mannered and theatrical of the four, and brings an earthed reality to the otherwise stagey production.
Director Marianne Elliott has her players dancing and miming their way through sex scenes and dinner service, a minimalist approach which is reflected in the sparse set. The effect is to leave it – the task of taking the audience to another place – entirely down to the actors and their script. Neither, unfortunately, is compelling enough, though that isn’t to say Cock isn’t diverting. It’s just that a once propulsive punch has become a glancing blow.
It’s hard to like any of the characters, or to care what happens to them next. John, in particular, becomes more and more dislikable as the play progresses which, given that his character is the one struggling with the nuances of his sexuality, is unfortunate. We deserve – need – to see more sexually fluid characters on stage, but we don’t need them to reinforce stereotypes about greed or indecision.
In time, Cock will likely mature into a fascinating time-capsule piece – for now, though, it feels unmoored and adrift from the lived realities of sexuality and sexual identity.
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