The sex party takes place in Islington and let me say straight away that all the sex takes place in the living-room off-stage and you will only hear groans. Meanwhile, on-stage, in the kitchen, it’s all talk, talk, talk.
Confrontational opinions are paraded deliberately to offend. There is no real story-line. I got the feeling that Terry Johnson, who also directs, was still in the middle of writing his play with the help of his actors. The play is a mess and I didn’t enjoy it at all.
We live in a gender-fluid age and people are quick to take offence and careers can instantly be cancelled. It’s a brave thing these days for comedians to make jokes and difficult for playwrights to write a play about sex without being cancelled. Mae West famously wrote a play about sex, called Sex, in 1926 and she went to jail for ten days.
Online, a middle-aged man (Jason Merrells) has invited his ex, her husband and complete strangers to an orgy in his home. They are not a likeable lot. An American (Timothy Hutton) and his Russian wife (Amanda Ryan) are particularly unappealing. There is also a druggie, who is funny simply because he looks so like Boris Johnson. (And, lo and behold, later checking his CV in the programme, I discover the actor, Will Barton, who plays him, has already played Boris twice before).
A straight couple have a lesbian quickie. Somebody points out that there are no blacks or homosexuals present. Is the host, therefore, racist and homophobic in his invitations? What sort of society are we living in today? If you are attending a sex party is that in itself a consensual statement?
After the interval, with the arrival of a very attractive trans guest (Poya Mohseni), the play becomes even more of a debate. Is it politically correct to ask a trans, who identifies as a woman, if he has a penis? And if he/she has a penis, do you think it is right of him/her to be using a lavatory for females?
The Sex Party is definitely not one of Terry Johnson’s best works.
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