An all-female cast plays the boy band that calls itself feminist.
FUCCBOIS, the world-famous boy band who could fill a 90,000-seat stadium, is on their farewell tour, and we are lucky enough to be there in the audience. It is just that there seem to be some unsettling issues among the four members and their manager.
FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT is Bridie Connell’s new satire concert musical, centred on the fictional boy band FUCCBOIS as they perform the final concert of their farewell tour. All four members, Brandon (played by Connell), Brendan (Vidya Makan), Other Brendan (Clara Harrison) and Tyler (Megan Walshe), are, as the name FUCCBOIS suggests, misogynistic men who nevertheless present themselves as feminists. They sing about understanding women and supporting feminism, yet their behaviour repeatedly contradicts those claims, from interrupting and taking over a female guest’s (Blazey Best) song to ignoring the contributions of their female manager (also played by Best). Brandon and Brendan are seemingly talentless, arrogant men who simply want to go solo, yet feel that their dreams will never come true. The Other Brendan is an insecure kid in need of love, while Tyler is a needy man-child who relies on their manager to sort everything out for him.
The show is straightforward in its depiction of the stupidity and silliness of masculinity, while the all-female cast play these arrogant men with deliberately exaggerated, affected performances. Their deliberately crude voices, mannerisms and misogynistic behaviour make the absurdity of these characters clear. The musical also plays with dating culture and the appropriation of feminist ideology by men. The songs are catchy while exposing the arrogance with which men can treat misogynistic behaviour as normal.
However, while that straightforwardness works well as a mode of satire, it becomes limiting in the manager’s monologue, when she finally breaks down because of their childish behaviour and leaves them. She talks about how brilliant she is and how childish they are. Although the monologue can feel empowering, it also feels too simple and familiar. The problem is that it still follows a patriarchal and neoliberal logic: she should leave them not simply because she is brilliant, but because the labour and bullying she has endured are unacceptable, regardless of how brilliant she is or how stupid they are. Equity is not about individual merit, but about the systemic conditions that produce inequality.
Show Listing:
Venue: Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios
Date: 5-31 August
Time: 17:05
Price: 21/Concession: 20
Guideline age: 14+
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/fuccbois-live-in-concert