Who are you… When love demands a choice? COCK by Mike BartlettA razor-sharp modern classic about identity, desire and the cruelties of indecision.
Mike Bartlett’s Cock has, in just over a decade, secured its place as a seminal modern classic — strong, startling, and unforgettable, it’s a play that confronts identity, desire and the cruelties of choice with wit, tension and emotional clarity.
When John, long in a relationship with his boyfriend, meets a woman who captivates him, everything fractures. His decision — or indecision — spirals outward, dragging in friends, rivals, lovers, and expectations, until a final dinner becomes a battleground for truth. With blistering dialogue and brutal honesty, Cock forces us to ask: can anyone really choose? What happens when identity is fluid, but allegiances demand definition?
How charged and potent words can be. And how they can mislead. The title of British playwright Mike Bartlett’s 2009 play is principally a reference to the cockfights he saw in Mexico. But this bait-and-switch is merely the starting gun of a play about the slipperiness of language and labels: gay, straight, boyfriend, brother. Their elasticity is strained and snapped.
“Bartlett’s sharp, witty study is less about tortured bisexuality than the paralyzing indecision that stems from not knowing who one really is.” — The Guardian (Michael Billington)
Winner: Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.
COCK by Mike Bartlett
Belconne Arts
7:30pm Wednesday 17 June
7:30pm Thursday 18 June
7:30pm Friday 19 June
2pm & 7:30pm Saturday 20 June
The Studio, Belconnen Arts Centre
Duration: 100 minutes
This production contains adult themes and language. Suitable for ages 15+
About Mockingbird Theatre
Great Plays. Great Performances. Great Theatre.
Mockingbird Theatre is an award-winning Canberra-based theatre company bringing discerning audiences the best text-based 20th and 21st Century plays from around the world. Utilising the talents of Canberra’s experienced and emerging theatrical talents, Mockingbird Theatre’s mission is to move, thrill, entertain and to create theatrical magic that will touch the soul.
