The List Checks All the Boxes By Martha Estrada Baca

What does it mean to be “a good man” in a world where definitions of masculinity are constantly changing? In ‘The List: A Traumady About Probiotic Masculinity’, storyteller and performer Keith Serry takes audiences on a moving and comedic journey through his own life, exploring the contradictions, confusions, and occasional absurdities of manhood. The result is a production that is heartfelt, thought-provoking, and sentimental. Serry, blends humour and heartbreak with ease, moving from laughable moments to passages of real vulnerability without losing the audience’s engagement. One minute he’s poking fun at the rituals of boyhood or the posturing of young adulthood, and the next he’s reflecting honestly on loss. The tonal shifts give the show its emotional richness. At the centre of ‘The List’ is Serry’s search for guidance: a desire to make sense of the confusing set of societal rules and examples offered up to boys and men as they grow. He emphasizes the importance of finding our identities and how it may be difficult to understand what kind of person we want to be. I recommend this show to anyone who has the opportunity to watch it, the writing and dialogue have evidently had a lot of thought put into them and it was a great experience overall.