Friday, 1 March 2013

Kinky - review

Written by: Elodie Vidal (@ElodieVidal)

Ovalhouse, London
*****

A show about kink. You probably have a mental picture of what such a production might be like, but the good thing is, Clare Shucksmith, creator of Kinky, knows you do. She also has a pretty good idea of which images your imagination is likely to conjure up. Flanked by creative and performing partner Zoe Hinks, she constructs a delightful piece that, in its raunchy affair with performance art, confronts all the expectations and stereotypes standing in her way.

Two words to describe Kinky: deliberate chaos. The rejection of conventions necessary to understand kink and alternative sexualities translates in a refusal to adhere to theatrical traditions. In lieu of a narrative or argument, the audience gets a succession of kink-related topics, from statistics to unfair criminal convictions, presented in a seemingly random order, with nothing but Powerpoint slides as transitions. In turn, Shucksmith treats each subject with a pell-mell of videos, punk music, and painted slogans. But it works: amidst the rowdy jumble of images, sounds, costumes and props, the institutionalisation of sex finds itself crushed. From the rubble, irrepressible humour rises, relieving sex of its seriousness and stigma.

Enters a giant penis, Tony the Tiger in a compromising situation, and a ripped and shredded copy of Fifty Shades of Grey, but much of the show’s convivial atmosphere comes from the knocking down of the fourth wall. For this production, Shucksmith’s company 2headedpigeon makes direct address the norm, and the creative process almost transparent. This point is especially obvious in the acting style, so casual as to resemble normal conversation. For all intents and purposes, Shucksmith does not act, the little smile lodged at the corner of her mouth indicating that she is only pretending. Hinks’s approach is more traditional, but still so informal that it is impossible to tell where lines end and ad libs begin. Add a technical director, Carl Boardman, who leaps from his station to make cameos on stage, and everyone is having a grand old time.

Not that Kinky is all fun and games; its serious moments are all the more striking for being so scarce. Of particular note is the scene revealing Shucksmith’s reason for making the play, delivered to the sound of loud music, but without any dialogue. Temporarily dropping her many props and her piece’s comedic tone, she writes on a white board, turning to the audience at the end of each sentence, a stern expression on her face. Her words, albeit simple, weigh a ton, and engrave themselves onto the spectator’s memory.

In the end, the girls’ conclusion - a plea to a significant other to take sex as it comes, without judgement, fear or expectation - confirms that Kinky is not about any specific sexual practice; it is about freeing sex of its neuroses. In its humour and disorder, the show thus provides both entertainment and catharsis – the marks of a successful piece of art.

This production runs until 2 March 2013.
@Ovalhouse @2headedpigeon

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