A clever and nuanced look at sex work and choice.
🍷🍷🍷🍷 🍷 5 out of 5 .
To be honest, as a man of a certain age, who works in theatre, I might have been a bit uncomfortable and self conscious going to see a show with such a ‘sexy’ appeal. The poster, the image of a scantily clad young woman and the by-lines all hint at a sexy, maybe even salacious experience. It’s the story of Molly, a fictional child star whose career has peaked by her late teens. She’s considering entering the adult film industry.
But of course that’s the whole point of this clever first piece, written and performed by former ‘child star’ Megan Prescott. And yes, she does get completely naked on stage, but for me, and I think most of the packed audience at the Underbelly Cowgate, it’s not a salacious moment. If anything, it’s a moment of horror, when our lead character Molly is loosely coerced into proving how ’committed’ she is to an acting role she’s auditioning for, by stripping off completely. “But it’s just a first audition” says Molly. “Panties too”, says the disembodied male voice. And we all shudder as she removes them.
It’s what makes this show so clever. The form and structure keeps the story fresh and relevant in a post me too world. There is a traditional strip, which comes early on and kind of gets it out of the way. I produced Peter Terson’s play ‘Strippers’ some years ago and it uses a similarly clever device. For the rest of the show, Megan is dressed in a sparkly bikini which, when she becomes a 6 year old talking to her Mom about joining a dance school, becomes a sort of metaphor for the whole story.
It’s also cleverly not sexist in any way. It’s not all predatory men, but all sorts of people who have agendas. It deals with some contentious issues, but importantly, never gets ‘preachy’ and is often very funny.
There is some clever sound by Hattie North and lighting and back projection by Rachel Sampley. Director Fiona Kingwell keeps the pace moving and uses some deft movement, although there are occasional sight line problems.
And Megan Prescott – in real life a former Channel Four ‘Skins’ star – is a not only a talented writer but a very good actor. Her adult dancing and childhood routines are completely believable.
Untimlately, this feels like it’s moved on the ‘me too’ movement. It’s about personal empowerment and choice. You should choose to see it.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/really-good-exposure
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