"Rated M for Mature" at The New York Fringe Festival
“Rated M for Mature” By Greg Ayers Directed by Paul Dobie Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
Three boys bullied at school react to their horrifying experiences in a variety of ways. Eric intensifies his immersion in gaming, specifically increasing his skills at CTA (Call to Arms). Pete takes more drastic measures and acts out and concocts a plan to escape the bullying on a road trip. Danny scrambles between Eric and Pete hoping to find a connection. All three have become isolated; all three have lost their concentration in high school. Their feelings of tension, anxiety, and fear affect their self-esteem and their individual awareness of self-worth. Eric’s depression is exacerbated by the bullying which continues at home from his newly re-married mother who exhibits not one ounce of honest understanding of her son’s predicament.
Ben Hollandsworth (Eric), Nick Vennekotter (Pete), and Patrick Harman (Danny) embrace the traits of their three characters with a sincere depth of understanding. Not once do they drop out of character or display any discomfort in the situations Greg Ayers’ script places them in. Jamey Hood brings the anxiety-ridden Susan, Eric’s mother, to a fever pitch of plausible disdain. Her own words describe her as a horrible mother – and she is. Clumsily focused on her new husband Larry – capably played by Brian Munn – Susan misses every clue Eric and his incessantly visiting friends proffer as they cry out for someone to recognize the angst the bullying has precipitated.
Ayer’s script exposes the audience to the violence of bullying and rehearses successfully many of the results of bullying and the effects it has on its victims. Less believable are other behaviors of the boys as they attempt to cope with abuse. There is no reliable research that indicates those bullied become bullies. In extreme cases, victims do carry weapons to protect themselves or seek violent revenge. So although Pete’s vengeful behavior which explodes in his imprisonment and sexual abuse of Susan is plausible, the acts of bullying the three boys exact upon one another is less plausible.
Overall, tight direction and competent performances make “Rated M for Mature” a riveting glimpse into the lives of boys bullied to the brink of revenge. This critic just wishes there were far fewer homophobic phrases uttered by the characters, particularly by Pete. One understands that these are phrases that were used against them; however, their use in interacting with their bullied friends is not necessary and, quite frankly, offensive. Young gay boys and teens in audiences do not need to hear phrases like: “dick face,” “gay zombies,” faggot,” or “faggoty Mouseketeers,.” This language, no matter its innocent intent, is an unacceptable form of bullying. There are equally effective ways of expressing the angst of these endearing characters without lowering the self-esteem of gay audience members.
For Eric, Pete, and Danny, the world of gaming is the only place they felt they mattered. When Eric’s mother callously confiscated his CPU, she removed their last defense to the surcease of their suffering. Disaster resulted. Parents: pay attention.
RATED M FOR MATURE
Presented by Ryan Duncan (Producer) and The New York International Fringe Festival. Written by Greg Ayers. Directed by Paul Dobie. Lighting Design by Sean Linehan. Sound Design by Aaron Gonzalez. Stage Management by John Michael Crotty.
WITH: Patrick Harman, Ben Hollandsworth, Jamey Hood, Brian Munn, and Nick Vennekotter.
All performances take place at The Cherry Lane Theatre (Main Stage), 38 Commerce Street (7th Avenue and Hudson Street) in New York, NY. Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission. For further information, visit www.RatedMthePlay.com
Remaining Show Dates Thursday, August 23rd @ 7:00 pm Friday, August 24th @ 6:45 pm Saturday, August 25th @ 12:00 Noon Sunday, August 26th @ 1:00 pm
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, August 23, 2012
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