Gerard Kelly wanted to be a boxer. Knocked out in the first round of his first fight, he now plays guitar and makes theatre. He draws on all this in his exploration of masculinity and what it means today.

Revealing his inner-self through poetry and song, he chats amiably about his past experiences and how they shaped him. He reconstructs the narrative of his youth by repositioning himself as the wisecracking, impervious superheroes projected on him from TV and film. And as the conflicting demands of society intrude, he pummels his exasperation into the audience.

A long time collaborator of THEATREclub, there is much familiar territory here. From the set – a couch, a lamp and a TV set – to the humorous, seemingly derivative tête-à-têtes that snap into something darker, there’s also a confliction between the conversational flow and the multimedia that always seems to interject when it feels like the performer is about to open up. He breaks down the construction of his self but steers the piece clear of broader questions – like what it means to be a man in a world that expects you to be a hero yet so often paints you as the villain.

Kelly is a pleasure to be in the company of. An actor of great magnetism, he’s funny but not knowingly so, and is really easy to feel for – but not understand. It’s ironic, given the production's topic of exploration, that Confusion Boats never truly lets us beneath the surface.

Star rating: ★★★