"Man Equals Man" equals Success

“Tonight you will see a man reassembled like a car.” Lady Begbick did not lie. In the story of one Average Joes’ transformation from regular guy to hardcore killer, the audience witnessed everything required to make a show entertaining. Great acting mixed with the perfect amount of suspense, intrigue and humor make this the best live performance of any kind that I have seen in a very long time.

In a story jam-packed with underlying themes lead actor Eb Madson shines as the character Galy Gay. He begins the play as a regular guy, strikingly similar to Curly from the Three Stooges, but ends it with a more Rambo-like demeanor. This transformation is evident thanks to the way Madson changes Gay’s personality throughout the show highlighting the idea that any man can have his morals skewed by those surrounding him.

One of the main reasons for Gay’s change is Widow Begbick played by Heather Petersen. If you can envision Raggedy Ann meets sorority girl on Halloween night, then you have a pretty good idea of how Petersen’s character looked. Add in the personality of a playboy bunny and you have yourself Widow Begbick. Seduction was the name of the game for her character and she pulled it off flawlessly. Throughout the play Petersen’s character as well as the soldiers played by Drew O’Bryan, Eric Lynch and Justine Blocksom work to transform Gay into a person he is not. Eventually, they succeed. Then throw in the performances of Zach Kopciak (Jip), who physically captures the essence of Charlie Chaplin perfectly, and Dylan Combs (Soldier 1), who drops one-liners with almost perfect timing, and you have a comedic element that makes the show even more entertaining.

I had not been to a play since I was really young and wasn’t really sure what to expect going in. Like a typical guy I had a feeling I would go in, watch the play and come out still mad I had to miss the Reds game. Let’s just say that didn’t happen at all. Director Brian Evans did a fantastic job of choosing the cast as well as adding certain qualities such as the clown paint on all of the actors. I really liked this touch as it highlights the idea that even as individuals, once we are integrated into a group we start to accept personality traits of that group. For Gay it was his transformation from innocent pedestrian to violence seeking, blood-lusting super soldier. Costume Designer Shannon Smith and Make-up Designer Janell Clingenpeel also have a lot to do with the success of the play. Their mixture of clown face paint and interesting, to say the least, costume designs bring across an atmosphere of 1920’s brothel meets circus freak show. Not only this, but each costume does a great job of highlighting each characters personality traits. A great example is Widow Begbick’s see-through skirt.

“Man Equals Man” is a must see for any play enthusiast and would be a great choice for anyone looking for a night out, including those with children (unless they are still in the “scared of clowns” demographic). The only knock on the play are the oddly timed musical numbers, and even those are done well enough to be enjoyed. As if foreshadowed by the actors creeping up on the stage manager as he introduced the show, this was a gem that snuck up and gave me one of the best surprises I’ve experienced in a long time.