The Prostate Dialogues at Theater J

The Prostate Dialogues

Theater J
1529 Sixteenth Street, NW Washington

Storyteller Jon Spelman explores masculinity and mortality with humanity and humor in his solo show The Prostate Dialogues. Drawing on personal experience from his own 2009 prostate cancer diagnosis as well as interviews, Spelman examines the effects of prostate cancer and treatment on sexuality and relationships with warmth and candor. You, the audience, get to eavesdrop on members of a cancer support group and meet the Spelmans' neighbors, with whom he discusses his illness while sitting on his front porch. Spelman recounts a memorable hike with his grown daughter across Spain's El Camino de Santiago, which sparks recollections of a passage from Moby Dick and what it came to symbolize for Spelman about his male identity.

Thru - Jun 29, 2014

Price: $48

Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes, no intermission

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The Prostate Dialogues Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...To the extent that Spelman, husband of choreographer Liz Lerman and a longtime professional tale-spinner, is a folksy, soothing, manly guide, “The Prostate Dialogues” is an agreeable way to spend 75 minutes. If you closed your eyes for just a moment, you could imagine Spelman speaking to you through your radio, as the featured voice on a segment on NPR."

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- Peter Marks

DC Theater Arts - Recommended

"...Theater J’s finale to its fine 2013–2014 season turns out to be a surprisingly poignant solo performance about a man’s privates. Storyteller Jon Spelman is our genial guide; the genitals in question are his; and the show is suitable for a general adult audience—even the bits that border on too much information. Judging from the laughter that punctuated Spelman’s spunky spiel, the folks at the opening matinee—among whom were many 50-plus married couples—were enjoying it a lot. Which you might not expect of a man’s monologue about having prostate cancer."

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- John Stoltenberg

Washingtonian - Recommended

"...It can be a challenge to remain completely invested in the narrow topic for the entirety of The Prostate Dialogues, though Spelman’s shift from his own journey to the way life’s unexpected struggles can impact others, including his wife and partner, is an abrupt one. The show wraps up neatly, if a little preachily. While never feels like a public service announcement for preventive care, it wouldn’t be surprising if some audience members finally got around to that nagging physical after hearing what the actor went through. But it does feel like Spelman worked hard to try to bring the play toward a broader, more universal message about mortality. The Prostate Dialogues is an effective reminder of how fleeting life can be, even if Spelman came out ahead in his own little confrontation with death."

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- Missy Frederick

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

The Prostate Dialogues seems to be the story of Spelman’s encounter with prostate cancer. The details are commonplace — I’ve read that every man who lives long enough will get it — but they’re not common conversation, which is why I sat on the edge of my seat: I’d never heard somebody talk about the invasion of his reproductive organs with such precision or such grace.

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- Mark Dewey

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The Prostate Dialogues at Theater J