With great intentions of digging into the imbalanced power dynamics between male and female roles in the arts, Masterclass risks giving the audiences a lecture rather than a show.

Following a run in Sydney in January, Brokentalkers & feminist theatre maker Adrienne Truscott opening their London show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at Southbank Centre, a beautiful space that set the scene for the play. Masterclass opens as The Interviewer (Feidlim Cannon) welcomes his guest, a hyper-macho master Playwright (Adrienne Truscott), giving a masterclass on the role of female characters in his plays. Known as “Mr Nasty of American”, the interview quickly goes downhill as they explore toxic misogynistic behaviours often portrayed by a “great male artist”. As the parody goes on, the line blurs between reality and imagination, until they finally break the fourth wall, and the toxicity flows into real life.

Truscott has a strong stage presence with a fun and engaging physicality. Cannon bravely leaned into the unaware, misogynistic male character provoking the audience. Being in a 295-seat venue, the chemistry between the performers struggles to translate into the room. Perhaps this two hander show would work better in a smaller, more intimate venue?

The design team brings us back in time with it’s mid-century aesthetics, contextualising the ongoing conversation about issues that should have been addressed long before our time but unfortunately are still relevant today.

Co-written by Feidlim Cannon, Gary Keegan and Adrienne Truscott, it’s impressive to find that 70% of the text in the first part of the play is taken verbatim. With a great concept and an important message, the heavy handed explanation of each action and the theme is a missed opportunity for the audience to interpret the show on their own terms.

Attempting to tackle many important themes, Masterclass delves into topics such as the self-indulgent artists and the ongoing debate of whether we can separate art from the artist. Understanding the heavy lifting, the show tries hard to incorporate comedic relief that doesn’t always translate. The exploration of trying to be an ally but failing due to not understanding what it really means, is an interesting concept, but the ‘tell not show’ approach is a missed opportunity to provoke an interesting conversation.

Masterclass brings a much-needed conversation to the forefront of the art scene, but perhaps with a little more freedom for the audience to interpret the show in their own way, it would prompt engagement in this ongoing debate as intended.

** Two stars

Reviewed by: Diana Feng

Brokentalkers & Adrienne Truscott: Masterclass plays at the Southbank Centre until 12 May before touring, with further info here.