A reflective and intense piece of theatre dealing with issues facing men today
From writer director Stacey Cullen, Overwhelm seeks to uncover some of the causes to the “male loneliness” epidemic and mental health crisis happening today.
The staging was straight-forward, Jake and Miles’s living room but with the use of a spotlight, the piece shifted from their situation to Riley’s situation and with Riley isolated, often watching the action of Jake and Miles or lost in his thoughts, it was a clever way to highlight his lack of connection and abandonment due to his addiction. Through his messages to Jake being voiced, his ups and downs and struggles with his mental health were more impactful. Despite his situation, Riley seemed to have more emotional depth and awareness than Jake or Miles.
There was an almost brotherly relationship between Jake and Miles and a want for what’s best for the other, but it lacked any emotion, other than anger when things got heated between the two of them as they unwillingly talk about things they would rather ignore, which it could be argued is symbolic of a lot of male friendships. It was interesting that Miles was keeping everything together, clearly dealing with a situation with his girlfriend but being emotionally present for Jake as he tries to get him out of the flat and talking to people whilst trying to get him to open up about what is really happening around him.
Initially the piece started light-hearted with banter between Jake and Miles which was contrasted with Riley’s descent and a few twists here and there. Then it became tense and the laughter stopped, as all three started to face up to what had been eating away at them. Their failings and insecurities came to the surface and it built to an intense ending. The fact that it took the actors to go back on stage and the lights to come up and the audience to clap, really does show how hard hitting the play was.
Overwhelm is just that. It struck a chord with my own personal struggles of similar issues; it left my friend almost in tears and a little stunned at the end. This piece is reflective of how easy it is to fall down rabbit holes in the incel community when you lack emotional maturity and unwilling to take accountability. How not having a support system around youwhen you’re struggling can take you down a path that can be hard to come back from and how the pressure of being expected to fix other people’s problems can have on some people. It also highlights a very real sentiment-you can’t help someone unless they want to help themselves and the unwillingness/fear in getting help that I am sure some men have felt.