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In his play “Testosterone,” Lebanese artist Joe El Khoury undertakes a significant life cleanup. As the author, director, and solo performer of this theatrical work written in Lebanese Arabic, he embarks on a deep and unflinching introspection on stage.
On the boards of the ACT at Le Monnot Theater, Joe El Khoury invites the audience of “Testosterone” into his room, that of a townhouse. Far from his native village, which exasperates him, he remains “religiously” attached to his roots. For him, crossing this threshold represents a step towards a new future, an assertion of self, a form of rebellion.
“In my room, with a mop in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It’s chaos and disorder everywhere; I’m frustrated, and my testosterone levels are fluctuating. It’s time for a big cleanup, either of the room or… of my life. It’s funny, isn’t it?” he summarizes his play in a few words.
For about an hour and a half, Joe El Khoury recounts memories of a past filled with poignant anecdotes, reflecting a masked social experience and relational clichés. From the broom to the sponge, from a photo of Haifa hanging on the wall to his mother’s voice reminding him of order, between the psychologist and the Virgin Mary, between OCD and PTSD, the artist struggles to clean up, retracing the steps of his childhood. In front of a listening audience, he matures to the sound of different musical tunes. He dares without fully revealing his truths. However, he sometimes drops his modesty, tying his scarf around his waist, jumping on the bed, running to lean against the walls to escape bombs or flee “Aunt Jeannette,” and occasionally breaking the fourth wall to dispel the remaining seriousness.
In a scenography as cluttered as the thoughts in his head, Joe El Khoury musters his courage and delivers his text with jerky movements and well-paced phrases, sometimes inspired by monologue geniuses. But it’s his personal touch that the audience remembers: his overflowing energy, his “playful” acting—rightly so—his unleashed and freed movements as he lets go, his instinctively thrown anecdotes, his mime bordering on the burlesque, his winks at the audience, his excessive dances, and the characters that haunt him.
This first monologue, where Joe El Khoury takes on multiple roles, could be the start of a promising future. The man he has become will soar towards other projects if, through cleaning and sorting, he clings scenically to his added value and preserves the passion for the stage and the same perseverance.
At Le Monnot Theater until June 27, 2024, at 7 PM.
