Starring: Mark Hadlow
Written by: Gregory Cooper
Venue: Clarence St Theatre, 14-17 October 2020
Clarence St Theatre was almost full for the opening night performance of Middle Aged Man In Lycra (MAMIL). Amongst the audience were politicians vying for seats in the upcoming election, the mayor and city councillors, well known real estate agents, media personalities and the city’s most loved thespians. And on stage was the incredibly talented Mark Hadlow contemporaneously playing nine characters, from a German urologist to an Indian diary owner and everything in between. Everything.
MAMIL follows the story of Bryan Cook, a road-raging wheeler dealer whose life becomes unstuck. Fate steps in and he finds solace in the conversations and friendships offered by a lyrca-clad peloton.
Hadlow left shame at the door and threw himself completely into the performance. His ability to flip instantly between characters including their postures, mannerisms, and accents was outstanding.
Gregory Cooper is a phenomenal writer and easily mixes confronting topics with pure kiwi humour. Cooper even managed to craft an extraordinary examination scene set at the urologist’s office. In theory, everyone should have been squirming at the onstage antics but instead the audience was in gales of laughter.
One patron’s phone loudly dinged during a pivotal moment of the performance, throwing Hadlow off his stride temporarily. Rightly so, he broke the fourth wall and chided the attendee reminding the auditorium that it was common decency to turn off phones. Hadlow managed this undesirable distraction with humour and within a moment returned to the character he was playing.
Hadlow received a standing ovation for his 1 hour 38 minute performance that showcased many skills and impressive fitness. MAMIL was the perfect blend of expert writing and delivery.
Get on yer bike and get to Clarence St Theatre for this exceptionally entertaining one-man show.
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