It is difficult to say why some men might claim to understand the female mind, but Dr Melissa Merchant suspects in today’s world it could be due to the sheer volume of information, and misinformation, available online.
“When confronted with websites, blogs, Twitter (rebranded to X) and TikTok accounts and podcasts that say similar things, it’s easy to start believing they are true,” the Murdoch University English and Theatre senior lecturer says.
“For those who are creating the content, there’s definitely a financial incentive. We see men like Andrew Tate, who is now back on Twitter (X) and has over six million followers, claiming to be worth more than $335 million.”
It is a subject Merchant, who has a PhD in theatre, is exploring as she directs Harbour Theatre’s latest production Banging Denmark by playwright Van Badham, which had its world premiere with Sydney Theatre Company in 2019.
Billed as a swinging satire on men who claim to understand the female mind, and the online culture that inspires them, the play’s premise follows pick-up artist podcast Jake Newhouse who turns to feminist PhD candidate and blogger Ishtar Madigan for help when the woman he falls for does not respond to his usual moves.
“Rather than bringing us closer together, the internet today is filled with algorithms that seem designed to divide us,” Merchant says.
“We are now seeing the consequences of social media platforms creating echo chambers, or filter bubbles, with terms like ‘doxxing’ ‘trolling’ and ‘internet pile-on’ becoming part of our vernacular. Banging Denmark brings all of this into focus, it shows the real world consequences of online actions.”
Merchant says she loves the language Badham uses to create the recognisable and relatable characters and scenes in the production, where no one behaves quite as you think they would or should.
“I think that the characters in Banging Denmark will resonate with Harbour Theatre audiences,” she adds.
“They will recognise the romantic comedy tropes that Van Badham is playing with, and subverting. I hope that audiences will find the play funny and that it makes them reflect on their own online worlds.”