REVIEW: MAMIL -- Centrepoint Theatre

Mark Hadlow gets top of the podium for his performance in MAMIL at Centrepoint Theatre--Photo David Walker/Fairfax NZ

Review: MAMIL
Written and Directed by Gregory Cooper
Centerpoint Theatre 

​Review Date: 9/11/2019


Prostates, Pelotons, and Property Management what more could you want out of your Saturday night?  There’s another P word, so just use your imagination. . ..
Saturday night was opening night at Centrepoint Theatre as they wheeled out their latest showing—MAMIL aka Middle-Aged-Man-In-Lycra.  I was eager to see a MAMIL up close because usually they are only seen moving in packs—cycling like they are trying to outrun the inevitability of their lives.  Getting a MAMIL out on his own in front of a live studio audience was sure to be a rare treat.

​This show written and directed by Gregory Cooper is the story of one shallow, privileged, white male (Bryan) who transforms his life by joining a cycling group after his world crumbles around him. He finds his soul and learns how to really love himself and his fellow man.  

The set design was the barest I’ve ever seen at Centrepoint, I guess they were emulating the soul of a MAMIL.  It was sparse and black, like a recently divorced middle-aged man's bedroom. The special effects amounted to a smoke machine, lights and sound effects.  The attention was centred on one middle-aged man acting out multiple personalities.  Of course, there was also a bike and Lycra.

New Zealand actor Mark Hadlow delivered this one-man show. He was confident, strong, and a great story-teller.  It seemed like he held nothing back. It’s worth seeing this show just to see a theatre legend work a room.    I’m in no way qualified to have opinions about acting techniques so I’m not even going to try.  I’ll use lay persons terms.  He played at least eight characters and switched between them seamlessly using different accents for many of them.  My personal favourite character was the wiry old man who organised the cycling group.   Also, he cycled throughout the whole show and made it look effortless.  Leaping on and off the quite tall set and getting changed on stage multiple times goes a long way towards proving that he’s obviously a superhero. The audience were highly stimulated by the probing nature of the show—literally.  Mark Hadlow certainly has his fingers in a lot of places.  There was more than just a bike seat around his rear end.

This is a man friendly show.  If you want to drag your man out for a date at the theatre, then this show has the black décor and right amount of testosterone to make even the most theatre-hating man happy.  If you’ve raised your eyebrows about this heavily stereotyped statement then rest assured, the whole show is like that. . ..
 
I’d like to see Centrepoint Theatre open-up a night for palmy MAMILs with a group discount for arriving in their Lycra and click-clacking into the theatre with their cycling shoes on.  Maybe a latte special that day would be useful too.
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This show is well explained.  You won’t have to turn your brain inside out to figure out what is going on.  It’s an easily accessible laugh if you can overlook the quite un-PC content.