Toxic came to Leeds Carriageworks for one night to shine a light on issues around male suicide.
Presented by Divided Culture Co. the all-male cast of Northern actors presented an absorbing play of significant importance.
Created and written by Dan Lovatt and directed by Connor Goodwin, the show originally aired in 2021, a sellout, award-winning performance at Greater Manchester Fringe Festival.
The Leeds performance is part of a tour that will see the play performed at venues in Yorkshire and the North West in 2025. Given the rise in hypermasculinity on social media, this play is now more important than ever.
This is a show about male vulnerability, a vulnerability that is often disguised by humour, banter or bravado. Four men of different ages, different classes and different sexualities reveal their vulnerability during the show. However, it is a vulnerability they are reluctant to share with each other. If the play serves to encourage such conversations, then it will make an important contribution towards maintaining male mental health.
The play starts with Andy, a superb performance by Patrick Price, contemplating suicide. He is persuaded to go home and think about the situation by James – Adam Cryne – who describes himself as Andy’s best friend. They clearly are friends but their relationship comes from work and you realise that there is much they have never shared between them.
Humour and pathos are masterfully blended throughout the play. Humour has the audience smiling, laughing or cringing. Even the most intense moments are sometimes lightened by humour: ‘red paisley curtains’ enable James to encourage Andy that he has things to live for. Andy’s husband has left him but there are still positives about his life.
Supporting cast members Ross Thompson as Camo and Kamran Azad as Patrick, show other aspects of masculinity: the beer swilling, macho footballer player and the young man testing boundaries and looking for his place in the world. Patrick is Andy’s nephew and ultimately gives him a reason to carry on, whilst Andy provides Patrick with boundaries. Camo may seem an archetype but he occasionally shows that even he is vulnerable.
The set is simple but effective. Half the stage is Andy’s lounge, backed by the aforementioned red curtains, and the other side is a bar table and chairs in a local pub. Linking the two is a raised railing, representing a bridge; a potential suicide hotspot. The lounge at the start is covered in discarded food wrappers and deteriorates further as more food and drink is added to the chaos during the first half. The pub table becomes covered in more and more pint pots.
In the second half, Andy’s life becomes more settled. I did find the remaining food litter on the set, especially the chips and trifle, rather distracting. On a set without stage curtains it would have broken the fourth wall if members of the cast had come on stage to clear mess during the break, but they might want to investigate whether theatre staff or volunteers could help with this during future performances. The arrival of the celebration minion cake would have been more effective on an empty table.
As Andy’s life becomes more settled, it becomes apparent that James also has things he needs to share. The play helps us understand that loneliness has a presence in the lives of many more men than we realise. Adam Cryne’s performance takes us on a significant journey from his initial smooth, joking persona to the vulnerable man we meet at the end.
Divided Culture Co. strives to create work that is based around lived experiences and northern narratives. With a focus on regional theatre, they are providing opportunities for young creatives outside London. At a time when male suicide is continuing to rise, and more young men are feeling lost, it is worth repeating that this is an important play.
TOXIC
Created and Written by Dan Lovatt
Directed by Connor Goodwin
Lucy Eve Mann, Associate Director
Fay Rusted, Designer
CAST
Kamran Azad Patrick
Adam Cryne James
Patrick Price Andy
Ross Thompson Camo
Divided Culture Co. combines a network of artists across the North and the Midlands.
https://www.dividedcultureco.com/
Images:
Pub and bridge by Lewis Fernandez
Room by Harry Green
Stage by the Company
