
(To learn more about this show, please click here)
Performance 6/22/25 – Portland Stage TFK
From the open of this show, we know we’re in for a caricature piece, but that’s kind of the point. Ostensibly two “Real Men,” Sully and Mac strut around the stage pontificating on the demise of real masculinity. But as they speak more, we become privy to the idea that theirs is not a toxic masculinity, at least not maybe not in the traditional way we think about it. Their confidence in their way of being is at first humorous and cartoonish. And by the end, they’re still insisting, with their chest puffed out and bellowing into the void, that ‘real men,’ the kind of men they are, aren’t going anywhere, dammit. But their buffoonery develops into something else – it becomes resistance to the very caricatures you assumed these two were in the beginning of the show.
Review Submitted on 6/23/25 by Allen Baldwin, PF25 Independent Review Team
‘Choosing the Bear’ started as a clever and humorous homage to the techies that keep the world of theater in motion, and turned into a much deeper conversation on masculinity and male relationships. It kept the edge of humor all the way through, but touched on many of the stereotypes and assumptions society places on men.
While the script could use a bit of refining, and the characters’ stakes were low, the overall message of the show was absolutely impactful, and the conversation audiences are invited to participate in is timely and valuable.
Review Submitted on 6/23/25 by Lauren Stockless, PF25 Independent Review Team
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