What Makes a Man is a mature, contemporary play by Shepherd University student Alex Hale. The play is unapologetic and hysterical, while still having an important message underneath the humor.
What Makes a Man starts out with two best friends, Marcus (Ben Johnson) and Jake (Jonathan Henson), discussing what makes a man perfect. Later on, Jake reveals that he has had thoughts about other men and convinces Marcus to have an affair with him. Jake comes clean to his girlfriend Kelly (Deidre Morrison) about being homosexual. After Jake’s confession, Kelly drops a huge bombshell on him. The characters must decide how to move on with their lives while being pulled in many different directions.
What Makes a Man is loaded full of hilarious scenes, many of which had me clutching my sides from laughing so hard. The cast did a fantastic job delivering some of the one liners and jokes, making the scenes even funnier than they should have been.
The play is sexual in nature and most of the scenes are incredibly risqué. While I was watching the show, I didn’t think some of the scenes were necessary, but then it dawned on me that the message wouldn’t be delivered the same without them.
Hale’s play is about self-discovery and the strength to let go of the things that harm you. Overall, What Makes a Man is a trashy comedy with great jokes and a few touching scenes that teach the audience an important lesson.