EDINBURGH 2019: Review: SUCH FILTHY F*CKS, Pleasance Dome

"Normal" people don't watch porn. Apparently. Except that PornHub received 33.5 billion views in 2018. And there were only 7.5 billion inhabitants on Earth.

So why is porn such a taboo, yet so commonplace in real life? And why is porn addiction not considered a valid issue by many industry professionals?

These are just two of the questions that Oli Forsyth's weighty production Such Filthy F*cks expertly poses. Both written and directed by Forsyth, the show follows Luka (Alice McCarthy) and Jules (Olivier Huband) as they support each other and attempt to overcome their porn addiction. Luka is in danger of losing her high-powered job, one where she uses porn as a stress reliever. Jules is a schoolteacher who can't stop watching webcam action at school to feel less alone, an obsession that has resulted in erectile dysfunction.

These are valid, real-world issues of high-pressure and anxiety, depression and isolation, for which the two characters use porn as a remedy. But, as with addictive personalities, the solution has itself become an entirely new problem. Through Forsyth's eye for detail and both actors' intricate, layered performances, Such Filthy F*cks becomes a show in which these questions can be seriously considered and debated.

Starting with Forsyth's script, through his direction and even within Erin Green's uncomplicated set, the mechanics of the experience are so well constructed that the audience can be instantly dropped into the environment without feeling lost. And Forsyth has a knack for this - his previous work on Kings, Cornermen and Happy Dave all took real-world problems and staged them plainly, without frills or metatheatrics. Forsyth trusts his viewers to buy into his vision, and this faith is not misplaced.

The actors also take their cues from Forsyth's direction. Despite suggesting Viagra to fix their problems, the chemistry between these two is not artificial. Huband and McCarthy exude a natural likeability, imperfections that ground them in reality rather than as parts the audience can't sympathise with. McCarthy in particular has form here, with past roles including the Olivier Award-winning Rotterdam showcasing her ability to be vulnerable on stage, connecting with her material and her viewer instantly and expertly.

Such Filthy F*cks opens a forbidden topic up for discussion. With one character looking to the results, and another looking to the reason, this production allows its audience to feel "normal" around the subject matter. Because porn is now normal, whether we are ashamed of it or not.

Image courtesy of Alex Brenner

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/such-filthy-fcks#overview

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