Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 18th June 2015
If the sight of a gorgeous young lady in skimpy underwear offends you, then
It's Just Sex is probably not the show for you. Three handsome men and three beautiful women swapping partners and heading into bedrooms for a wild romp might not be your ideal night out. It is possible that you do not like to laugh at very witty lines. Maybe you do not like thought provoking endings to a play.
On the other hand, if any or all of these are categories into which you fit, then you will want to see the Adelaide Repertory Company's latest production. Then again, if you are a 'wowser', you will surely want to see this production so that you can then write to the newspapers expressing your narrow-minded view of the world and your outrage at its naughtiness.
Joan arrives home early from her yoga class to discover her husband, Phil, cavorting with a prostitute, Amanda. He expects some confrontation, but she dismisses it and seems more worried about preparing for an evening with friends. Their children, and those of their friends, are away at a camp, giving them a little freedom.
Kelly's husband, Carl, just cannot keep his lust for her under control, and Greg feels controlled and belittled by his wife, Lisa. At the cocktail party they decide to play a drinking game, involving admitting truths about themselves that nobody knows. Some, shock even their partners. The game and the alcohol leads to a range of admissions that then lead to a wife swapping party, each of the men taking another man's wife into a bedroom.
When they all return, some want to discuss and analyse what just happened. Some are worried. Some are unconcerned. Some wonder, "what now?" For the three marriages, there are vastly different viewpoints, and consequences.
The play, although written quite recently, feels rather dated, very reminiscent of the film, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. The men are written more three dimensionally than the women who, bys and large, are stereotypes who Gould appears to be berating for the problems in the relationships by not pandering to their men folk. Perhaps it had something to do with his own divorce, placing the fault at the feet of his ex-wife.
On opening night, Isabella Rositano played the scantily clad hooker, but the role is shared, with Laura Antoniazzi appearing on other evenings. The role, as one might imagine, is primarily physical, with Phil chasing her, manhandling her, and taking a few intimate photographs. It relies on vivaciousness, energy, and a willingness to let go of any inhibitions and trust your fellow actor, and that is what we get.
What is odd is that Phil, played by James Whitrow, has not so much as a button undone, and seems restrained in his pursuit of Amanda around the room. He appears to be having difficulty fully embracing the situation. They also seem to be improvising extra dialogue, with that uncertainty and incongruity with the written lines that always accompanies this.
Once past the brief, raunchy opening scene, halted by the arrival of Joan, played by Bronwyn Ruciak, the rest of the play is fully clothed and fairly tame. Amanda collects her fee and departs and Phil and Joan, instead of fighting, as he had expected, set about cleaning up where Amanda has been and preparing for their party. Whitrow and Ruciak present us with a couple who marriage has long cooled to the point where she doesn't even seem to be bothered about his afternoon activities. One suspects that sex is now only an activity for Christmas, birthdays, and the odd special occasion. Gould is trying to justify Greg's misdemeanours by blaming Joan's sexual disinterest.
Kelly and Carl, played by Tess O'Flaherty and Jonathon Johnston, show us the opposite end of the spectrum, with him constantly seeking to get her to bed, while she is easily talked into agreeing as she has trouble leaving him alone, too. they are a clever pairing, with O'Flaherty having a lot of fun with the naive, bordering on giggling bimbo, Kelly, and Parker as the ever ready Carl, always a moment away from making a carnal joke, a suggestive remark, or a move on one of the women that might or might not be serious.
The third marriage is that of Lisa and Greg, played by Sharon Pitardi and Luke Budgen, where she is a high-flier, a lawyer, and he is bossed around and emasculated. She criticises him for being a wimp which, Gould asserts, is her fault for constantly putting him down, and making him to scared to make any sort of decision for fear of her criticism.
After a few drinks and a couple of rounds of the game, Joan suggests that, as there have been admissions of some attraction for the partners of others, they do what they have been wanting to do, and pair up. They do, and go off into the bedrooms, backlit curtains, where we see some rather dubious shadow play implying a range of sexual positions, generating a few more laughs. So far, there is not really that much to report on as it is all about introducing the characters and their relationships, and setting up for the second act.
This is where the recriminations, regrets and awkwardness come to the fore, and the performers get a bit more from Gould's script to work with. It is still all down to the cast, though, to make this play work. It is a lightweight comedy and the dialogue reflects that. There is no great depth to the discussions about the group's experiences and their resulting feelings.
Director and designer, Erik Strauts, has found a strong group of actors for this production, and their combined talents and experience are what makes this production work. They have created some very believable characters and set up some very fine interactions, building this play into a creditable production.
Congratulations must go to the Rep for stepping out of their comfort zone to present a production that is more risqué than their usual fare, as well as being both a play and a writer unknown to their audiences.
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