Mediocre White Male at the King's Head Theatre

They say that as you get older, time sort of… speeds up. Well, it doesn’t feel like that for me…not here…

It’s been years since high school, since everyone left for uni, since starting the summer job that’s never ended…and since you.

These days, you can’t even say hello to the new girl without offending her. Apparently it’s a generational thing. I would say I’m the same generation…I’m in my late 20’s…essentially.

Things change? Yeah, well, some of us are sick of change. Change is a thief.

What about me? What about us? I think people forget about the people that stay.

A searing portrait of male anger, fragility, and vulnerability, Mediocre White Male unpacks what it means to feel abandoned as the world changes, and confused in the face of a progressive agenda you don’t fully understand.

Mediocre White Male is a satirical single-person performance telling the story of a white man in his 30s who is struggling to connect with the world around him as his views and actions become outdated with modern times. He avoids responsibility, refuses to see the world from other’s points of view and deflects. It’s an honest and stark look at masculinity in current times.

Will Close, writer and performer, gives a fascinating insight into this viewpoint as the storyline slowly unravels and reveals itself so the audience can see just what is at the core of the character. A man who feels he deserves praise and reward for doing the bare minimum and can’t take responsibility for his own flaws as he downplays and normalises his actions. The ability to pass mistakes or flaws of the character onto women whilst also being very possessive of them feels oh too familiar. His casual and oblivious sexism and racism are indicative of the way the audience may have heard many people speak in real life.

That is not to make the show sound too bleak, it is laugh-out-loud funny throughout, often in unbelieving response to the Mediocre White Man’s comments. The details throughout in both the text, costuming and direction really help elevate this performance.

Mediocre White Male is on at the King’s Head Theatre until the 2nd of September, tickets can be purchased directly through the King’s Head website.