Sponsored: This play expertly dissects the institution of gay marriage and is coming to London
A hit play from the Edinburgh Fringe is coming to London Pride at the Soho Theatre.
Edinburgh Fringe 2015 hit This Much (or an Act of Violence towards the Institution of Marriage) tackles conformity and relationships and premieres in London as part of Pride 2016 at Soho Theatre
This Edinburgh festival favourite, set at a wedding party with a high energy disco soundtrack to boot, is an exhilarating, risqué and fun filled look at whether we form relationships to be happy or because we fear the alternatives and have the need to fit in. Written by John Fitzpatrick as part of the Royal Court Writers’ Programme, the play focuses on three men (Gar, Antony and Albert) battling conformity. gender, sexuality and individual identity are undergoing a radical re-examination, the groundbreaking play asks whether marriage has an intrinsic value or whether it’s significance historically has invested it with a value that’s past its sell by date in today’s culture.
This Much was described as “smart, sensitive and strongly performed…” (The Stage) and received a clutch of four star reviews when it was staged at ZOO venues during the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe. This is an intimate story of adrenalin-fuelled games, heart-breaking highs and lows, violent confrontation and moments of tender love and humanity. The play focuses on Gar who can’t decide between the man who plays games (Albert) or the man on one knee with a ring (Antony). His every choice feels like a compromise. Blurring the boundaries between the audience and the performers, This Much questions suddenly being allowed to fit in, whether you want to fit in anymore or what that meant in the first place.
John Fitzpatrick said: “We have just stumbled through a looking glass from a binary phase into an age of spectrum. Fitting in has never been so much about being yourself. A tipping point has been reached with a younger generation who are more confident in being authentic to themselves and reject labelling. It’s not about being gay, straight or bisexual. Although This Much has a specific queer context and storyline, its themes are those that anyone faces when they feel ‘other’ to society’s norms, particularly in regard to traditional models of marriage, children and family.
“The central character is a man trying to decide between a traditional relationship which he thinks he ‘should’ subscribe to and something more challenging and scary. But both paths are flawed because he hasn’t faced up to himself. The society he grew up in drove his shame and self-loathing, now that society is changing it’s up to him to be brave. Doing that, however, means losing all the safety and security his privilege afforded him.”
This Much (or an Act of Violence towards the Institution of Marriage) is at Soho Theatre (Upstairs) from 7th June – 2nd July 2016 at 7.15pm (4pm matinees on 11th, 18th, 25th June and 2nd July).
Tickets are £15/£17.50 (£12.50/£15 conc) from Soho Theatre Box office on 020 7478 0100 or via https://sohotheatre.com/whats-on/this-much/
For more on the show go to www.movingdust.com or @Moving_Dust and #thismuchplay
Watch the trailer at https://vimeo.com/movingdust
