Theatre Review: Man Lessons
A short review of Man Lessons, at Basement Theatre.
On the day Auckland was beset by weather warnings but had not yet been subject to jarring emergency alerts, Man Lessons opened at Basement Theatre with a deep warmth that would have made you forget about the rain and the cold. We were handed little torches as we went into the theatre, and Adam explained we were to use them as and when we wanted to shed light on — and to bring light to — people or circumstances. The torch I had was warm-toned, and so my first impressions were overwhelmingly that of warmth.
Man Lessons is a personal retelling of Adam Rohe's journey of finding himself, transitioning socially and medically, with intimate documentary-style footage interspersed with Adam talking to the audience to shed light on (and bring light to) even the messier parts of his life most earnestly. A lot of the footage is very candid — Adam in his car with his mum, singing with friends, rehearsing for plays — and the effect coupled with the genuine manner in which he talks to us and Benny (who is filming everything with their camera even during the show) make us feel as though we are friends, and catching up on a significant event we've somehow managed to miss. And a whole decade of it, at that, in all its ups and downs and moments of existential dread and tumultuous joy. Adam starts at the very beginning, the moment of realising their identity, how they wrestled with it, and all the wild things that came after. Through a whirlwind of events that included a lot of struggle, but perhaps an equal amount of love and support, Man Lessons brings us a deeply personal story of growth and transformation which every person who has underwent the same will understand and appreciate. Perhaps, like me, they will take away warmth from it too.
Adam makes a point to tell the audience that everything needed for this show fits in a box that fits in his car — which means the show can be done absolutely anywhere. Which also means, you can very possibly just call him up and invite him to do the show in your living room. If you want a moving experience and happen to have a semi-large space, why not? Or you can just go to Basement Theatre, which probably works just as well. Bring your friends.
Man Lessons will be showing at Basement Theatre until 2 August. You get to choose what you pay, and can get your tickets here! Please take care to look over the content warnings on the Basement Theatre webpage linked below before you go.
Craccum would like to extend our thanks to Basement Theatre, and director Eve Gordon for this opportunity.
