★★★

“a play that focuses more on glimpses of intimacy and character variety rather than any tangible plot with a clear ending”

Desire, grief, family, sexually transmitted diseases and much more can be found in this production of Conversations After Sex. Written by Mark O’Halloran, this show unveils how we connect in our modern times and how we deal with whatever life throws at us. Because sometimes distracting ourselves with different physical experiences, like having sex or taking substances, is the only way to stay afloat and not sink.

That’s what our unnamed female character seems to be navigating, as she goes through sexual partners of various temperaments, interests and ages and as she spends wild night after wild night. After they’ve had sex, they discuss about previous or current relationships, life or whatever else comes up once the emotional walls she normally has built up have been lowered, even briefly. More and more is revealed about her till we get a better picture and understanding of her life. Her older sister also joins for a few scenes, giving a bit more of a perspective than what the protagonist would have liked to share.

The pace is steady throughout, not really altering or fluctuating throughout the play. The two main actors find moments of emotional vulnerability and are really present with one another, but don’t really go the extra mile to help the audience engage more. Julian Moore-Cook jumps in and out of all the male characters’ accents and physicalities smoothly and swiftly, which fits with the protagonist’s nonchalant performance. Olivia Lindsay as the female protagonist plays with no exaggerated passion or turmoil, which is intriguing and grounding, but does leave the audience with a sense of hanging, like there were things left unsaid and unfinished. Jo Herbert’s appearance as the sister is brief, yet sobering for us and the protagonist, a voice or reason and a reminder that everyone goes through different struggles.

Under the direction of Jess Edwards, it’s a play that focuses more on glimpses of intimacy and character variety rather than any tangible plot with a clear ending. The main focus is definitely the balance, and imbalance, of the protagonist with her respective sexual partners, but during a heartbreaking moment when her deceased ex visits her while she’s macrodosing, we’re left wondering if this is more about how the human soul breaks apart and the challenges of recovering.

The set (Georgia Wilmot) is simple, efficient and practical. In the middle, a queen-sized bed, all in pastel pink, and in the background, a big wall of neon light that assists with the transitions and dominates the mood of each interaction. Transitions are cleverly choreographed and exciting to watch, with the light changes and music intervals (Bethany Gupwell and Xana respectively), which offer a helpful intro and outro for the many characters we encounter.

In a world where disconnection is more and more prominent, Conversations After Sex has the potential to shine light onto the people hiding behind dating apps, substances and loneliness. The delivery does get stagnant and unspecific, but is entertaining nonetheless.

BLOOD WEDDING

Omnibus Theatre

★★★★

“The dynamics are beautifully conveyed by the actors in wonderfully genuine performances”

One of the most telling lines in Barney Norris’ adaptation of Lorca’s “Blood Wedding” is when the young bride, Georgie proclaims ‘I can’t remember what’s good about me’. The mix of fear and confusion in the eyes epitomises not just Nell Williams’ extraordinary performance, but also the nature of the play in which we are repeatedly taken aback by powerful moments of poignancy that burst through the comedic surface. It is a multi-layered piece that brings Lorca’s tragedy right up to date into a very relatable English rural setting. We are in a Wiltshire village on the edge of Salisbury Plain. A seemingly ordinary backwater peopled by everyday characters. Don’t be fooled. Alex Marker’s realistic set places the action around the back of a village hall, but we are somehow thrown into the world of folklore too.

Georgie and Rob (Christopher Neenan) are checking out the slightly run-down venue for their wedding reception. Rob’s mother, Helen (Alix Dunmore), is tagging along, anxious to convey her misgivings about the whole affair. The dynamics are beautifully conveyed by the actors in wonderfully genuine performances that match the natural flow of the dialogue. There is much humour, but small details and verbal tics hint at the darkness that is to come. Director Tricia Thorns is very in tune with the subtleties, often allowing the characters to look out to the audience yet still staying within their own world.

Neenan’s Rob is a delight. With his soft West Country accent, his instantly loveable personality has a simplicity and honesty that Williams’ gently mocking Georgie cannot resist. Nor can we as we root for this couple, despite the protestations of Helen and her severe abandonment complex. Dunmore can switch between caring mother and prophet of doom with remarkable ease while displaying the guilt of not imposing either with enough force. Enter Brian, the village hall’s caretaker. Initially hilarious, his role develops into that of the all-seeing sage. A remarkable performance from David Fielder that shifts into the surreal as he takes on the spiritual symbolism of Lorca’s original text, leading us dramatically towards the bloody and disturbing climax.

But before we get there, we meet Georgie’s old schoolfriend, Danni (Esme Lonsdale) and her bad-boy, Irish traveller husband Lee (Kiefer Moriarty). Lee is Georgie’s ex, and because he reappears on the day of Georgie’s wedding, we can’t help but get a sense of what is coming, whether we are familiar with Lorca’s play or not. Lonsdale gives a real strength to Danni, ably standing up to Moriarty’s slightly unconvincing menace. One of the few inconsistencies of the piece comes with the nagging disbelief that Georgie would be prepared to flee her own wedding and run off with Lee.

Fielder’s Brian tells us that ‘there is more to me than meets the eye’. A statement that can describe this play. The powerful shift in mood and style in the second act could easily have jarred, but in the hands of this talented company it is impressive, and Fielder comes to the fore with a commanding potency. The tears he has in his eyes towards the end seem genuine, and we are impelled to join him. The final epilogue, set a year after the events, is in danger of unnecessarily dragging out the ending, but it neatly sews up of the threads of the story. A tale of the fears and dreams, not just of the newly wed protagonists, but of all of us. Barney Norris has said that he wanted to build a new kind of mythology with this adaptation, particularly to the part of England where he has set the narrative. On that level he succeeds, but his play also has the gift to entertain which, in turn, is a real gift for the audience.

CONVERSATIONS AFTER SEX

Park Theatre

★★★

“a play that focuses more on glimpses of intimacy and character variety rather than any tangible plot with a clear ending”

CONVERSATIONS AFTER SEX

Park Theatre

Reviewed on 2nd May 2025

by Stephanie Christodoulidou

Photography by Jake Bush

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CONVERSATIONS AFTER SEX

CONVERSATIONS AFTER SEX

CONVERSATIONS AFTER SEX

BLOOD WEDDING

Omnibus Theatre

★★★★

“The dynamics are beautifully conveyed by the actors in wonderfully genuine performances”

BLOOD WEDDING

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed on 2nd May 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Phil Gammon

Previously reviewed at this venue:

BLOOD WEDDING

BLOOD WEDDING

BLOOD WEDDING

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