Judging by the tabloid-esque advertising for this production
(the poster looks like something from the Daily Star), I was
expecting this double bill of American sex to be lurid and
sleazy, typical of the current theatrical trend for shocking, yet
not artistically essential, displays of the sexual act. It was an
immense surprise, therefore, to discover that one of the plays
was written by Albee, of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
fame. His play, The American Dream, is extremely well-constructed,
with a generous splash of anti-American satire. It reverses the
traditional concept of the family unit in a ridiculous manner,
and symbolises in each family member a different sub-category of
American culture. Daddy is the ineffectual masculine influence,
while Grandma is a dotty old woman, and Mommy a bored and
outmoded housewife. The most interesting character is the Young
Man, who represents the American Dream, fully aware of his own
incredible worth, yet lacking in any sort of human quality which
would flaw him and still provide improvement. This production is
entertaining, but crying out for a more inspired style of
direction; it feels laboured at the start, and many opportunities
for stylised movement are left untapped. The play palpably lifts
in energy as the characters begin to move, creating a much-needed
physicalisation of the dialogue. Sex Slaves, by Adele Shank, despite being a weaker play, is
acted far better, featuring a fine performance from Gus Docx as a
film director escaping the frantic world of Manhattan to the
Philippines in search of a bride. The farcical elements of the
play are enacted skilfully, and the unpleasant subject matter,
involving Filipina women reduced to sexual commodities, is
contrasted with some great laughout- loud moments – my
favourite involved plucky Phoebe Wood- Wheelhouse and an
hilariously embarrassing stripping scene. The two plays are book-ends of the absurdist tradition;
Albee’s play is acknowledged as marking the beginning of the
form, and Shank’s signals the dawn of blending the absurdist
genre with its adversary, naturalism.ARCHIVE: 3rd week TT 2004
Sex for America Double Bill
