The Year of Magical Wanking [VIC]

Theatre Works have a hit on their hands with a trio of one-man plays showing in repertory for this year’s Midsumma Festival. I was fortunate enough to see the two imported plays on the same evening - both vastly contrasting in style but both packing a theatrical wallop and  are not to be missed.

With a title not exactly geared for the Disney crowd, you’d think you know what your getting with The Year of Magical Wanking. Well, you’d be wrong. Neil Watkins, from Ireland, is a theatrical powerhouse. For sixty exciting, dangerous minutes, he enacts his sometimes-hard-to-bear story in verse, leading us through a story of drugs, porn addiction, self-loathing and confusion to the possibility of redemption and finally hope. In fact it seems the show we witness is Watkins’ salvation which makes the experience all the more explosive.

It’s difficult to say too much without giving away the surprises he packs into this tightly executed piece. Suffice to say that not only is Watkins a clever, intelligent, and witty writer (in fact there are moments of awe at just how stunning his script is) but he is a charismatic performer, letting the audience come into his world with an ease that beguiles the harshness of his story. In fact, both and he and the audience should feel blessed that he possesses these charms because it is a large part of the show’s success. If there was one criticism I have of the piece, it’s that I wasn’t moved by it. I just didn’t feel anything for the man even though I empathised with his story. Perhaps it was the self-proclaimed Jesus-complex, perhaps it was the slight air of arrogance that radiated throughout the proceedings or perhaps it was that I felt that the actor appeared emotionally detached from the story he was conveying. I wanted to see a little more of Watkins’ heart. Maybe he didn’t want to give it. Maybe holding his emotions at arm’s length is what helps him tell the story effectively. But like a preacher at his pulpit, I would have liked a little more passion. Regardless, there is no denying the power of his story and the skill in telling it. For that alone, I urge you to see it. There are many people out there, gay and straight, who can relate to this man’s tragic past. Watkins shows there is hope for change.

Click here for Chris' review of Mother/SON.