Physical Education delivers a masterclass in exposing the bruises beneath bravado, dismantling toxic masculinity with intelligence, wit and devastating honesty. Written by Jonathan Houlston, who’s also a cast member, it explores the pressures of masculinity and lad culture within the school environment, revealing how relentless the expectation to ‘be a man’ can shape, distort and ultimately damage the lives of young men.
By turns powerful, emotional, laugh-out-loud funny and hard-hitting, at times Physical Education is also deeply uncomfortable. But that discomfort gives the play its impact, forcing the audience to confront attitudes and behaviours that are often dismissed as harmless laddish banter.
Directed by Richard Mylan, the production is fearless in its honesty, and impressive in its confidence in the use of silence. Through the silence, Mylan allows space for the audience to sit with what they had witnessed, reflect and breathe – these silences are every bit as powerful as the dialogue.
The staging is simple but effective, drawing the audience in with minimal distraction and creating the sense we’re immersed in the events depicted. Combined with dramatic and carefully considered lighting, the production feels intimate and all-encompassing, and every creative choice serves the story.
Performances are outstanding across the board, with every character feeling entirely believable. Luke Rhodri’s portrayal of Ryan, a young man coming to terms with his sexuality, is tender and empathetic: navigating the suffocating expectations placed upon him by peers, his question “What makes you a man?” is heartbreaking as it’s familiar. His scenes opposite Houlston culminate in a coming-out scene that’s handled with remarkable sensitivity, avoiding cliché or stereotype.
Houlston, as Joe, balances humour, vulnerability and warmth; his final scene conveys pain and emotional exhaustion with such authenticity that it leaves this evening’s audience in stunned silence. Harry Lynn’s portrayal of Jason was equally remarkable. Instantly unlikeable on the surface – derogatory language disguised as ‘banter’, chauvinism and homophobia, a bullying, domineering attitude – he’s the apogee of the toxic lad culture the play examines.
Yet Lynn ensures Jason’s never a one-dimensional villain, and as layers are stripped away, his bravado gives way to the emotional and physical wounds he hides, and the audience are challenged to look beyond condemnation and consider the cycle that had created him.
Physical Education is an essential lesson in the importance of emotion, vulnerability and honest conversation; likewise, an exposure of the devastating consequences of unchecked lad culture. “If the play encourages even one conversation,” Houlston writes in the programme, “then it has done something worthwhile.” I’m confident it’ll spark countless conversations, because Physical Education is not simply a compelling night out but a timely, courageous and necessary piece of theatre.
Physical Education, Grand Theatre, Swansea, Thurs 2 July
On until Sat 11 July. Tickets: £20. Info: here
words DAFYDD LLYR
