SNAP! Productions snaps to attention, taking on a British play which won an Olivier Award after its London 2009 premiere at the Royal Court Theater. It’s Cock by Mike Bartlett. Speaking of royal courts, his 2014 script King Charles III won the Critics Circle Award last year. Bartlett’s work has often been on display all over London including at the National Theatre. He also wrote The Town TV series plus BBC scripts.
This four-character piece (a “sharp, witty study” according to The Guardian) deals with one man’s search for self-definition, his anxieties about commitment to relationships and his emotional confusion. Personifying his dilemma, he finds himself swinging away from his boyfriend and getting involved with a woman. SNAP’s press release calls this a three-lover “cockfight” and a cheeky “contemporary comedy of manners.” The Guardian also praised “the acuity of the writing.” More info is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Bartlett_(playwright).
The cast: Joseph Schoborg, Eric Grant-Leanna, Caitlin Staebell and Brent Spencer. Joshua Mullady is the director.
The poster for this show shows a variety of images for the play’s title, including a rooster and a cocked pistol. Clearly meaningfully symbolic. Absent are a cocktail and a cocked hat onto which other ramifications could be attached. Undoubtedly this item dwells on various attachments including an unpredictable organ.
Cock runs March 4-27 at SNAP! Productions 3225 California Street Thurs-Sat. 8 p.m. Sun: 6 p.m. Sun. March 27 2 p.m. Tickets: $10-$15. http://www.snapproductions.com/