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> マリコの部屋へ 電話をかけて  
>  男と遊んでる芝居 続けてきたけれど

My translation would be something like:

> I called the place of Maiko to talk about the boy that I am playing around
> with

Is my translation of playing around with correct? Also, it refers to just one
man, right?
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2017-06-11T11:50:01.963
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question
translation
「マリコの部屋へ 電話をかけて 男と遊んでる芝居 続けてきたけれど」
> マリコの部屋へ 電話をかけて 男と遊んでる **芝居** 続けてきたけれど

中島みゆきの「悪女」の出だしの歌詞ですね。
歌詞全体をどう解釈するか[話題](https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1417112029)になっている歌です。  
It is the start line of the lyrics of "悪女 _akujo_ " by a famous singer-
songwriter Miyuki Nakajima. How you interpret the whole lyrics is a
[topic](https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1417112029)
also in Japan.

**芝居** in the given sentence is meant by the definition 1, not by 2 in the
following list.

>   1. **to play a trick; to put up a false show; to deceive someone**
>
>   2. to put on a play; to present a play; to give a play
>
>

So, 「男と遊んでる芝居」means 「男と遊んでる **振り** _**making a pretense of** playing around
with a man_」.

> Is my translation of playing around with correct?

Yes, she pretends to "play around with a man", but actually she is not playing
around with any man.

> it refers to just 1 man, right?

Yes and No. It might refers one man, **his boyfriend** , but at the time she
is calling Mariko she is not playing around with him as you know.

Last but not least, I posted my answer under the condition that I read only
the phrase given by the questioner without reading the lyrics written by
Miyuki Nakajima.  
However, the interpretations of the first line of the lyrics by the people who
have read the whole of them seem to be **totally different** from that of me.  
[Here](http://komachi.yomiuri.co.jp/t/2007/0123/116443.htm?o=0&p=2) is a
variety of interesting interpretations.  
I recommend that you would make use of them for the training of your
imagination after having read the whole of the lyrics.  
I would suggest that you guys would answer the question only from the
standpoint of how to interpret the "芝居" in the given phrase under the
condition of not having read the whole of the lyrics.
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