Presented by Mark McAuley
Review by Eloise Robertson
Mark McAuley’s Diary of a Mad Man is an ambitious piece of multimedia theatre with a political edge. McAuley’s concern over the rise of the far-right, and the mind-altering influence of social media fame, is the guiding force of the piece. While at times this political messaging rather overtook and distracted from the narrative arc, McAuley deserves credit for wearing his honourable intentions on his sleeve.
In a show so overladen with satire, his greatest challenge was to bring the audience along with him. To prevent his problematic comments feeling unjustifiably abrasive, McAuley’s character could have done with a slower, more consistent, arc from relatability to extremism. Instead, we were launched quite suddenly into repetitive observation of the brownness of a rival job-applicant’s skin, followed up closely by hashtags of racist stereotyping popping up across the background. As a result, it was not immediately clear whether we were hearing the beliefs of the writer/performer or the character. While this may have been a deliberate choice, and one which certainly raised the intensity within the room, it made the piece rather uncomfortable and difficult to follow.
Nevertheless, McAuley’s clear dedication to the script shines through in its snappy pacing and fascinating multimedia elements. These pair well with some timely and relevant insights into the clutch hold of status over young men, particularly those facing chronic loneliness. In bringing it to life, McAuley gave a gripping performance; his characterisations of the lead’s mother and CEO were particular highlights. Despite a rather on-the-nose depiction of the lead’s descent into madness and extremism, in moments of humour or direct address to the audience he was very engaging.
Exemplifying this was his success, at creating both laughter and shock, from the pre-recorded messages which intermittently took over the back screen. Against the all-white of the lead’s hospital clothing – a brilliant touch – were depicted an array of videos and images which told the public-facing story of the man we were seeing descend into insanity. It is a rare treat to see multimedia elements integrated so seamlessly into the story and morale of a play.
Leaving the room, one felt rather overwhelmed by the intensity of the piece. Rather than leaving us contemplating a weighty moral issue, McAuley left us with the more generalised anxiety of being blatantly told how warped society is. While I’m wont to deny the importance of theatre inspiring intense and complicated emotions, I only wish these were accompanied by some more subtle, novel thought.
Ambitious Piece
Diary of a Mad Man runs Venue 139, Roxyboxy at Assembly Roxy
Running time – Sixty-fiee minutes
Review by Eloise Robertson (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Eloise is studying her fourth year of a Philosophy degree at University of Edinburgh, but she spends far too much time costuming student shows and writing opinion pieces for The Student. Since returning from her year abroad in Australia, she’s worked Bedlam Fringe and thrown herself back into Footlights and EUSOG by costuming both their main term shows. At the same time, she’s increasingly found her true passion in writing, and will begin her Master’s in International/Human Rights Journalism next September.
Eloise is a lover of all things camp and comedic, so she’s super excited to review stand-up, clowning, drag, musical theatre, and much more! At the same time, she’s a literature nerd who loves to see a reimagining of a traditional, emotive piece; whether it’s a one man Vanya or unicycling Bottom.
