Brit playwright Mike Bartlett’s award-winning play COCK may suggest the wrong images for those of you with minds that are too closer to the gutter, but the drama is of a sensitive conundrum that many gay men will be able to relate It is the story of John who has identified as “gay” his entire life and has been in a relationship with his boyfriend “M” for the last 7 years, with whom he shares an apartment and a family life. After the couple decides to take a break, John meets a woman named “W” on his daily commute. He is surprised to find himself developing a physical attraction to her and decides to lose his heterosexual virginity and have sex with a woman for the first time.
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He now feels torn between his longtime boyfriend and his new female lover, as the newly discovered joys of vaginal sex cause his sexual identity as a gay man to be thrown into confusion. As “W” teaches John the ins-and-outs of heterosexual intercourse, the relationship becomes more serious and they began to consider getting married and having children together.
John tells M that he loves him, but that sex is better with W and that she’s a more fitting partner for him The play’s final scene, which is meant to be reminiscent of a cockfight, features John’s boyfriend and John’s girlfriend fighting over who will have him.
In this new well-received revival from Washington DC’s Studio Theater that is streaming online Randy Harrison (Queer as Folk) is playing John, the part originally created by Ben Whishaw at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2009. At that time Bartlett, a husband, and father, refused to comment if the play was in any way autobiographical as it does have such an unquestionably authenticity to it.
Streaming online until April 18th https://www.studiotheatre.org/buy/tickets/10649
