Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog

Terry Johnson is the playwright who gave us gems like Insignificance, Hysteria & Dead Funny, and another 11 that I’ve seen. He often pays homage to comedians (Cleo Camping Emmanuelle & Dick at the NT, his tribute to the Carry On films, was another gem, as was his recent biographical piece about Ken Campbell) and sex crops up more than occasionally. He’s also a director of others’ works as well as his own. Here he is again both writer and director, which on this occasion may not have been wise.

The sex party is taking place in Alex’s house in Islington. He’s invited three couples and one single to join him and his young partner Hetty. Some he knows well, some he hardly knows, but they are all up for it, well, to one degree or another.There’s very old friend Gilly and her alpha male husband of sixteen years Jake (both new to this scene), ageing hippy Tim and his assertive wife Camilla and American ‘businessman’ Jeff and his wild Russian wife Magdalena. They’re all in the kitchen, except when sex is involved in the offstage living room. It’s too much for some participants and not enough for others. Just before the interval Lucy, a late guest, arrives. After some speculation and discussion, it’s determined she is a pre-op trans woman. In the second half she becomes the centre of attention as prejudices are revealed, people feel threatened and attitudes challenged and transform in what is a provocative change of direction by the play.

What starts as a somewhat dated sex comedy with contemporary frankness turns into a very contemporary debate about gender where the characters are initially more cautious, though it proves impossible for any of them to walk on eggshells for long. This half was certainly better, but there was so much going on it moved on from one issue to the next before the discussion had run its course, and became a bit loose and somewhat melodramatic. Some of the characters suffered by being little more than stereotypes – Tim and Magdalena – whilst others had more depth. Hetty’s Welsh accent was all over the place, with references to her mam becoming mum inconsistent. Good performances generally though, particularly from Pooya Mohseni as Lucy, who commanded everyone’s attention. I’ve only seen Lisa Dwan (Gilly) in Samuel Beckett so I’ve only really seen her mouth, face, head or torso before! She also has great presence. Tim Shortall’s kitchen is uber realistic, though my full price seat restricted my view of the right of the stage, something I should have been told and something dismissed out of hand by the theatre’s AD David Brabani. So much for 18 years of loyalty and supporter membership.

I felt the writing needed more work, and the second opinion of an independent director might have helped. Far from Johnson’s best work, but not as bad as the reviews would have you believe.