A Hilarious Reckoning with Masculinity on the Footy Field

“I hate this fucking show”, Australian comedian Jon Bennett proclaims over and over again in his brand new, dramedy one-man production, Playing With Men. It’s clear to see why, as throughout the performance’s runtime, Bennett struggles to wrap his head around what makes a “real” man using his teenage years in footy as points to reflect upon. With witty humour and quick storytelling, Bennett takes us through tales of crazy adolescent parties, a threesome, poetry-writing, and moving in and out of the AFL’s A-League. Presented to us in a silly slideshow complete with a projector, the stories flow from one to another seamlessly. This is especially due to Bennett’s very quick and entertaining delivery.

All in all, the show explores themes of accountability and male emotional vulnerability; challenging the question of “what if we were just brought up this way?”. While Jon Bennett: Playing With Men got a lot of laughs out of its audience, the emotional grip was what left a mark (aside from getting to hear Bennett’s preteen poetry).