ED2022 4/5 Reviews ED2022 Comedy Reviews

Jake Cornell And Marcia Belsky: Man And Woman (Stamptown)

By Chris Cooke | Published on Sunday 28 August 2022

This show within a show is almost a show within a show within a show, Jake Cornell and Marcia Belsky’s knowing glances early on providing the third level. We’re witnessing the preview of a new play written by Cornell the director, who reckons women’s voices are too rarely heard on stage, and he’s the man to write the script that fixes that. He takes the role of Man in his ridiculous play for himself, hiring Belsky the actor to play Woman. We then see that play performed in a suitably over-the-top fashion, interspersed with ‘backstage insight’ from Cornell the director and Belsky the actor, whose professional partnership slowly falls apart. It’s an entertaining exploration of gender politics and a punchy parody of the entertainment world’s misguided attempts to empower women by telling their stories from a male perspective.

Assembly George Square Studios, until 28 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Chris Cooke]