~Monday~ I’ve been going to plays produced by Manbites Dog Theater in Durham for many, many years now, and I joined their Board of Directors around four years ago, in 2008.
I was asked to join the board as a result of a mass emailing I did to every person in my email address book at the time, which was something I had never done before, telling them about a phenomenal show I’d seen at that theater the night before.
If I were to do a repeat performance of that action, it would be about Manbites’ current run, The Brothers Size. It is a heart-wrenching story with amazing performances by the actors in it.
There is a ton of conflict in the story, which is of course what makes good fiction. I’m going to enumerate a few themes here, and a few conflicts around those themes, which are explored in this play—being careful to avoid any spoilers:
- Freedom, in general
- Physical freedom versus mental freedom, in specific
- Parental abandonment
- Societal perceptions and expectations
- Discrimination
- Prison life
- Love vs. lust vs. affection
- Brotherly love
- What success is
- What we do for love
There are four more shows to see of this run—Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
I will go out on a limb and say that this is the best value for your entertainment dollar in the Triangle through Saturday. Treat yourself to it! Show Information & Tickets
Oh, and if you do go, please come back here and use the comment feature to tell me what you thought of it!