A clever comedy which exposes the awful consequences of toxic masculinity
Throughout history, there have always been men blaming women for their own problems. Today, incels smash away at their keyboards, dominating online forums which champion misogynistic views, and venting their frustrations about their lack of female attention. The Andrew Tates of the world inspire impressionable young boys, spreading hatred which all too often sparks into violence. This is nothing new. Sure, progress has been made, being an adult woman no longer just means marriage and baby-making, and we have far more freedom. But as a society we still have a long way to go. Back in 1486 two German monks, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, the Joe Rogans of their time, published ‘Hexenhammer’, what would become the best known treatise purporting to be about witchcraft. The key message of this book is as follows: chaos is female, and women corrupt men, so women must be destroyed. Now, performing duo Suzy Kohane and Sidsel Rostrup have taken this book and turned it on its head, using the story of Kramer and Sprenger and incorporating comedy and verbatim theatre to create a comedic play with a strong feminist message.
The play opens as the women strip off their dressing-gowns and strut their stuff on a bare stage. Dressed in men’s underwear, they strike poses and boast about their sexuality, taking ownership of the word ‘slut’ and turning the term into a caricature. The lights change, and we turn back time to the late 1400s, embarking on a book tour across the misty British landscape. Kohane stands tall as Heinrich Kramer, confident and assertive, a convincing ‘alpha male’. In contrast, Jacob (Rostrup) embodies the incel archetype – awkward, bumbling, a ‘three’ seeking both a friend and guidance in a ‘ten’. Jacob’s intimate conversations with God reveal his mixed feelings toward Heinrich, an overpowering admiration and a creeping concern. Together, Kohane and Rostrup form a comedic duo, with their contrasting energies enhancing each other’s performances. They are highly energetic and have great chemistry onstage, always keeping the ball rolling, even during a funny (slightly time consuming) mishap with a costume change. Their heightened performances are anything but one-dimensional. Rather than focus solely on ‘men are evil’, they cleverly draw attention to the vulnerability and fears that are so often felt by men before they start on the slippery misogynistic slope in search of someone to blame for their issues.
The play alternates between past and present as it follows Kramer and Sprenger’s story. Initially, the somewhat episodic scenes lack clarity and pace, but as the play progresses, everything becomes clearer and falls into place. The script is sprinkled with verbatim, infused with references to The Matrix (will you take the red pill, or the blue?), the ‘Am I The Asshole’ reddit forum, and direct quotes from famous incel-influencers. In a particularly jarring speech, Jacob quotes mass-murderer Elliot Rodger, who published a Youtube video promising ‘retribution’ and stating that he would ‘slaughter every spoiled, stuck-up, blonde slut’, before going out and taking the lives of ten people, and then turning his gun on himself. These serious moments briefly disrupt the comedic tone, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of unease that persists after the play ends.
This is a clever piece of theatre which exposes the awful consequences of toxic masculinity, and highlights the complex culture which leads people down this treacherous path. Though at times disjointed, the piece delivers an important, hard-hitting message, wrapped carefully in comedy.