King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild
31 Jul 2023

by Drew Rowsome - Photos by Dahlia Katz

Two bromances unfold several thousand years apart in King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild. One is the first recorded, on clay tablets, epic adventure tale; the other is as current as yesterday. The Epic of Gilgamesh recounts how King Gilgamesh met Enkidu, the man of the wild, who was "the one I dreamt of" and became "the weapon in my right hand." They also taunt Ishtar, the goddess of sex and death, with their closeness. Ishtar has the hots for Gilgamesh who is a self-proclaimed stud, but he prefers to hang with Enkidu. Many historians and literary scholars interpret the Gilgamesh and Enkidu bromance as a romance, a sexual relationship, but for the purposes of King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild, they are just very close as that would interfere with the other storyline where Ahmed and Jesse meet cute at a pivotal point in each of their lives, and go on to have an epic bromance of their own.

The storylines are deliberately imbalanced—battling the demon Humbab and the Bull of Heaven can't help but upstage losing a role in a movie—to illustrate how the wisdom, and the mysteries, of the past can impact the present. The connections may be allusive and tenuous, but the parallels are undeniable and as Ahmed/Gilgamesh says, "If you understood, it wouldn't be a good story." And King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild is a rollicking good time of a story. The action is fast, physical and set to the heartbeat racing soundtrack of the band Moneka Arabic Jazz. Both of the main performers, Ahmed Moneka (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Follow Your Heart) and Jesse LaVercombe (Post-Democracy, Beautiful Man, Bunny, Hamlet) are kinetic to the point where a choreographer should be credited, and able to switch emotions on a dime. And both relish the chance to play comedy, with an abundance of jokes about Moneka's sexual prowess and LaVercombe mourning the loss of his body hair after sex with a prostitute. More importantly, both have solid musical chops that mesh with the band, the storyline and the action.

The burgeoning friendship between Ahmed and Jesse is as dramatically heightened as the fantastical adventures of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, but there is an underlying sincerity that rings true. What we interpret from the cuneiform on the clay tablets, is no different from an extrapolation of a artistic collaboration and friendship. And, as with all things in these times, the story has to snap in order to paper over a few bothersome modernities. It's hard to cheer on Gilgamesh's quest to turn the holy cedar forest into lumber to build up his city Uruk, especially when Uruk is explicitly contrasted with the glass and steel monstrosity that Toronto has become. King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild also leans a little too heavily into the trope of the wise, sexually potent outsider who salvages the mundane problems of an uptight straight white man. But Moneka plays his role so infectiously and with such abundant mischievous glee that one almost misses the metaphorical reversal in the epic portions where the wild beast brings enlightenment to the tyrannical king. It's complicated and clever and mostly doesn't register until after, one is so caught up in the non-stop action and the glorious music.

It is very heartening that two adroit actors, a crackling sharp group of musicians, taut direction by Seth Bockley, and some subtle lighting effects on a sparse set, can outdo what CGI could bring to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Most importantly, King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild is wildly entertaining. The audience does not need to be exhorted to jump to their feet as Moneka escalates into full rock star mode, we've already been sitting on the edge of our seats with our toes tapping. The reach across the footlights to create a community out of an audience, is another beautiful metaphor for the reverent raucous treatment of the value of friendship. Whatever differences we may all have, the similarities are just waiting there to be found with a little effort. And the power of music.