Humans and apes. Long before scientific studies proved our shared DNA, it was very clear that simply in our behaviours we are scarily similar. Australian playwright Caleb Lewis takes the links one step further and explores concepts of masculinity and male relationships through the eyes of a young primatologist, looking at the male members of his family. On one level, Men Love and the Monkeyboy, is what you would expect – a comedy about the apish qualities of men and their need to compete, aggravate, play around and fight over females. This is entertaining enough, yet it is where the play travels, into darker, more psychologically layered territory, that it really shines.

Directed by Christopher Hurrell for Shaman Productions, the play is laugh out loud from the outset. Bryce Youngman, as our central figure and primatologist Phillip, is the butt of a rather hilarious setup by his oafish father (John McNeill), brother-in-law Dave (Andy Rodoreda) and good mate Rex (Laurence Breuls). It’s funny for them and completely inexplicable for Phillip. Immediately the distinctions between the men and their maturity are drawn – Phillip seems to operate at a higher level of intelligence and does not partake in these juvenile delights. He prefers to study the science of apes rather than his father’s constant gift of porn magazines. He would rather romance a lady than spring upon them drunkenly at a bar. He isn’t that interested in fishing either. In short, Phillip (called Philly by his father amongst other names) as his father’s only son, is something of a disappointment and quite possibly gay. It is a fact Phillip will argue against throughout the play.

These male characters, while at first seem cardboard cut-outs of occa Aussie blokes, slowly develop  idionsyncracies and personalities beyond their surface. The second act is particular delves deep into the men’s abilities to attack each other on more than the physical level. With the addition of the female characters, Phillip’s sister and Dave’s wife played by Julia Davis, and a mysterious love interest played by Angela Hattersely, the male characters behaviour when skirting around these ‘prized objects’ is one to watch. Studying how they deal with personal injuries to each other, when the phrase “Men don’t talk” is prevalent, makes for some interesting and insightful theatre.

There are some excellent production choices made by Hurrell and his team, which add depth and psychology to the plot. Designer Micka Agosta’s set means that the whole entanglement of situations is played out in a primate enclosure. On this very male-dominated battleground, the men become primates themself, climbing on tyres, play wrestling, beating their chests, whilst scenes play out with clear metaphorical links. Because of some excellent physical work, these interludes further layer the script, and the technique adds a unique directorial style to the production, particularly with the boxing ring and fishing scenes (some very funny phallic symbols here). Unfortunately not all the male characters are fleshed out enough – Phillip and his father’s relationship is a constant battle, but needed to be pushed to the brink to see their true natures. Andy Rodoreda’s Dave is the most developed character, and the climactic scene in which he plans to extert his masculinity is brilliantly realised.

Men, Love and the Monkeyboy is a work that resembles its subject matter quite perfectly. Like the male personalities it explores, the play at first appears a surface comedy about base male behaviour but soon proves that these gruff exteriors harbour vulnerabilities and shame that the men struggle with – as such, the play unearths unseen layers and a tightly structured plot. It’s very funny and great to see such a physical exploration of themes on stage, but I just wanted it to go a whole lot deeper.