Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Feb 5 – Mar 7, 2020
Playwright: Topher Payne
Director: Mark G Nagle
Cast: Brynn Antony, Phoebe Fuller, Monique Kalmar, Lachie Pringle, Meg Shooter, Emily Weare, Tom Wilson
Images by Chris Lundie
Theatre review
Bennett and Cooper have had enough of homophobia. In Topher Payne’s Angry Fags, the best friends engage in increasingly reckless and violent activity, as a reaction against the gay hate they are experiencing in the “solidly red” American state of Georgia.
Characters in this revenge fantasy take their cues from extremists and terrorists in the news. We see these young men at the end of their tether, resorting to strategies that do nothing more than offer momentary amelioration to their suffering. Their desperate display of might is only capable of providing fodder for the media to sell stories, with no alteration detectable in the prejudice that their transgressions intend to vanquish.
Directed by Mark G Nagle, the comedy of Angry Fags is often effective, even if its irony can seem insufficiently pointed. Chemistry between players is lacking, but individual performances are accomplished. Actors Phoebe Fuller and Lachie Pringle bring the laughs, both memorable with their timing, inventiveness and conviction, proving themselves to be playful personalities able to bring entertainment value to any stage. Central to the story is Bennett, performed by Brynn Antony, a broody presence unable to contribute effervescence to funny portions, but engaging when things take a dark turn.
Hate needs to be met with consequence, but violence is not an instrument that minorities can wield easily. Justice is a frustrating process for those who seek it, but in these discussions that seem only to take place within inherently inequitable structures, speaking the language of power still remains the most potent force of change. It is obvious that extremist methods involving pillage and murder would never garner desirable results for queer movements in the west, but discomfort and inconvenience for the establishment, are not to be shied away from.
Suzy Goes See 