The somewhat daring title of this new production from Flipside Theatre is clearly a good choice, and draws in a full house for this premiere of an intriguing and original theatrical idea.
This is a series of solo monologues of young women’s experiences of one-night stands, some of them inspired by actual events, and some of them entirely true – and no, I couldn’t tell which were which.
‘The Beautiful Penis’ (How’s that for a title!) is a hilarious account of an encounter with a toff, whose inflated opinion of the unique attractiveness of his genitalia gives rise to the title, and is performed with graphic detail and cheeky, well-timed wit.
‘Open In Case Of Emergency’ is a clever take on time travel, with a story discovered by a young woman of her grandmother’s night of romance with a handsome man during the Blitz in 1940, and the resultant surprise pregnancy and its consequences, both then and now.
‘You Can’t Do Anything These Days’ despite the title, is a delicate thing about a young woman’s ‘rough’ sexual encounter and her agonising over whether it was rape, or whether she ‘asked for it’, or whether it’s just normal. Very sensitively done.
‘Perfect woman’ is the story of a louche and repellent gold-digger in her perfect house with her perfect husband who doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care, about her sexual adventuring outside her perfect marriage.
‘Did You Cum’ tells of a predatory huntress out in clubland looking for a man, and with no regard whatever for the idea that men have any feelings. Which gives a female take on the old male predatory “find ’em, fuck ’em, forget ’em” approach. How does that compare?
‘Modern Fairy Tale’ finishes the show with a heart-sinking tale of a naive young woman’s sad delusion that the man who picked her up in a night club is actually Mr Right, which of course he isn’t.
These varied and thought-provoking vignettes make for a fascinating evening, and showcase yet again Flipside’s writing and performing skill in examining the lives of young people in shows you don’t have to be young to appreciate.
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Reviewer: John Christopher Wood | Star rating: ****
Get F*cked, created by Charlotte Hobbs, Rosie Howard, Jessica Sterling, Maia Tassalini-Collins and Pippa Thornton, was presented by Flipside Productions at the Rondo Theatre in Bath on Wednesday 29th May 2019.
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