Join
four guys at a Manhattan gym for a workout and self-reflection
The cultural stereotype is that
women are the gender who are the most obsessed with body image. But Gain!,
written, directed and co-produced by Henry Sheeran shows that men can be just
as hung up on their bodies. This site-specific play takes place in an actual
gym in Midtown Manhattan and follows four workout buddies in their 20s: Alex,
Paul, Kevin, and Serj.
As soon as the play begins, we
are quickly caught up on the agenda. Apparently we had it all wrong before;
these weightlifters are not after muscles to attract chicks or being in shape
for the sake of health. It’s “the confluence of weight and strength,” the
ability to get as big as you physically can, that they pursue with almost
religious zeal.
This funny and surprisingly
endearing play invites the audience to eavesdrop on “locker talk” and pick up
on the bodybuilding lingo. Be ready to sit on exercise equipment or a “big hard
ball” (as our usher put it, with a chuckle) for about an hour. Even though the
audience members have permission to walk a little during the performance,
nobody moves as there is, frankly, no need.
With the exception of the hosting
venue, Gain! appears to be a traditional piece of theater, which is a
little disappointing from This Is Not a Theater Company, who co-produces Gain!
with Myka Cue and Henry Sheeran. I expected more exploratory interaction with
the environment from the creators of Pool Play 2.0 and Café Play.
But despite the missed opportunities of engaging with the site or the audience
in any unconventional way, the play still is enjoyable as a commentary
on masculinity and male body shaming.
Hats off to the actors who are
able perform while also breaking sweat doing a real workout. As the four of
them lift weights, bench press, and admire themselves in the mirrors, they chat
with each other and occasionally address the audience with a confession or
personal story. Gain! strives to bring to light all the complexity of
motivations, joys, and dark sides of the world of heavy lifting through those
narratives.
For Kevin, the race to always
meet new weight goals became an unhealthy obsession and a necessary part his
life. Turned on by his own reflection, he masturbates every night only to wake
up feeling guilty the next morning. He then boosts his self esteem by ignoring
invitations for drinks on Tinder. Kevin’s narcissism is growing in progression
with his mass, gradually elbowing out anything non-related to lifting. But it
looks like an attempt to fill in the void of loneliness.
Serj is fully devoted to the
game of gain. He started “juicing,” which is not a “kale delight in the
morning,” as Paul naively thinks, but steroids. His gym buddies disapprove of
“shooting” but some still begin to consider it themselves, which can be
dangerous when you look up to somebody who uses questionable methods. After
all, Serj is “the Big Jesus” of the gang, preaching the strictly scientific
approach to weight-gaining. He even scolds Alex for not keeping a journal
recording of every meal and every workout. Serj has his journal in his
pocket at all times and proudly offers to an audience member to leaf through
it.
Alex refers to this state of
over-commitment as “the lifting hole” and tries not to get sucked in. Out of
the group’s members, he maintains a somewhat healthy diet and talks about
lifting in the most poetic way by using unusual metaphors. Prior to weight lifting
he had hated his body, but by consistently working out, he achieved an
epiphany: “the body is not just a brain container, it’s an orchestra” The way
he talks about his legs as “bisons” and
his arms as “ballerinas” makes it evident that he has come to terms with
himself, but his confidence falters when is called chicken-neck by his
buddies.
Paul, Alex’s pal, is a novice in
the art of lifting (although Serj would argue that it’s not an art, it is
a science). The gym culture hasn’t traumatized his personality yet. He seems to
be the only one who enjoys social life and sees his strength as a means of
service to others, even if this means to fantasize about protecting a lady from
danger. The others don’t even go that far.
On paper, the characters seem
hardly likable but thanks to the passionate performances of the entire cast,
they open up to show us a different side. Is the obsession with physical
fitness an expression of masculinity or a sign of vulnerability? Is lifting an
act of self-love or self-destruction? The answers constantly shift as the play
progresses and every character ultimately has to draw a line somewhere. Their
journeys are absorbing to watch.
Sheeran crack opens a door to a
different world and explores the characters through both interactions with each
other and confessions delivered to the audience. Switching between these two
modes allows for showing more dimension to their personalities. For each of the
four young men, weightlifting has become a safe haven, where they have comraderie,
a sense of self-worth, and a common goal. On the other hand, their frantic
devotion makes them practically a cult. How else can they explain the ritual
where they each take off their shirts and shame each other for not being big
enough?
Gain! shows
how toxic the importance of self-image can be and how harmful are gender
stereotypes: an example of men taking it too far when it comes to appearing
“manly.”
[This review was published on NoProscenium.com on 11.12]
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