What really makes a man? Brawn, brains, and bravery may be acceptable answers, but for UCLA screenwriting professor and co-chair Hal Ackerman, embracing one’s masculinity means facing mortality and accepting the love and help of those who love you most.
Ackerman’s autobiographical play, “Testosterone: How Prostate Cancer Made a Man of Me,” running through May 10 at The Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica, addresses the difficulties in understanding one’s masculinity even while undergoing treatment for an emasculating disease: prostate cancer.
A three-person show, with Ackerman starring as himself and Randy Oglesby and Lisa Robins playing all the supporting male and female roles, Ackerman recounts the story of his diagnosis with prostate cancer in 2001, recounting his trips to the doctor, his process of accepting his illness, and the ways in which his attitude toward his disease affected his family and his lovers.
While “Testosterone” provides insight into what it means to face a cancer diagnosis and the struggle in facing one’s mortality, “Testosterone” is really a window into Ackerman’s charming wit and endearing attitude. It is clearly Ackerman’s time to shine as he takes full advantage of the Powerhouse Theater’s cozy setting, beginning the show standing in front of the stage in the aisle and addressing the audience directly. His friendly rapport immediately creates a personal connection with the audience as he starts the show, seamlessly making his transition onto the stage such that it’s nearly impossible to distinguish the opening formalities with the actual beginning of the story.
“Testosterone” is clearly aimed at an older audience, or at least an audience more concerned with and aware of prostate cancer, but Ackerman’s charming attitude crosses age boundaries. His performance occasionally comes off slightly uneven as he stumbles over certain lines, but his connection to the material and his desire to convey what is most important to him rings honest and true. Certain subject matter in the show, however, could potentially make audience members uncomfortable. Admittedly, it feels a little strange and voyeuristic to watch Ackerman receive a digital rectal exam on stage and return from the intermission with him and Robins caressing each other “after sex.” However, without these slightly discomforting thematic elements, the story would not resonate as honestly as it does, nor would it possess its charming frankness.
Oglesby and Robins both provide strong support, even if Robins does not necessarily make the most convincing teenage daughter. Each actor, however, effortlessly dives into the multitude of personalities that Ackerman conjures, gracefully departing to their respective sides of the stage when necessary and, with simple costume changes, transforming into completely different people with every scene. While the supporting roles occasionally come off as caricatures, there is simply not enough room within the story’s trajectory to account for three-dimensional characters aside from Ackerman.
“Testosterone” may not be the type of show that college students would clamor to see, but for an entertaining theater experience that, despite its heavy subject matter, will leave you joyous and hopeful for the ability of people to overcome even the most difficult circumstances, Ackerman’s simple three-man show is a well-crafted performance.
““ Jenae Cohn
E-mail McCollum at cmccollum@media.ucla.edu and Cohn at jcohn@media.ucla.edu.