F**king Men
Waterloo East Theatre
20th April to 18th June 2023
“F**king Men is a modern retelling of Schnitzler’s infamous classic ‘La Ronde’ as a dramatic comedy that follows 10 men through a series of erotic encounters that change their lives in small but significant ways. In this raw and updated new version for 2023, Tony-winning writer Joe DiPietro (‘Memphis’, ‘The Toxic Avenger,’ ‘What’s New Pussycat?’), takes a sharp and insightful look at the experiences of modern gay men as they navigate their conflicting desires for the comfort of monogamous love and the thrill of sexual freedom.”
Review by Richard Lambert, 5 Stars
Having seen F**king Men twice before by other producers, this is the one that works and brings alive the story of La Ronde with a modern re-telling.
La Ronde is a controversial play with provocative sexual themes, written by Arthur Schnitzler in 1897. It scrutinizes the sexual morality and class ideology of its day through successive encounters between pairs of characters (before or after a sexual encounter).
The team behind this version have pulled out all the stops to create a slick production. Utilising 6 x screens that can be transparent or opaque at the flick of a switch allows immediate transitions between onstage and upstage performance spaces. All sync’d in with the sound for immediate impact. 2 of the screens are hinged to open as doorways between the sections. With back-lighting and LED Pixel strips, a fast-paced staging environment maintains the dynamic momentum.
The writing is equally genius and the cast are terrific. Stand-out performance from Derek Mitchell in various guises, especially in his playwright scene which brought the house down. Brilliantly hilarious!
A hi-tech show done in a fringe venue over-achieves on expectations to deliver an exciting production.
Photo credit: Darren Bell
Cast
Alex Britt
Charlie Condou (until 21st May)
Derek Mitchell
Stanton Plummer-Cambridge
Creative team
Director Steve Kunis
Set and Costume Designer Cara Evens
Lighting Designer Alex Lewer
Sound Designer Charlie Smith
Movement & Intimacy Director Lee Crowley
Casting Director Anne Vosser
Voice and Dialect Coach Amanda Stephens-Lee
Produced by Adam Roebuck
Further Info
F**king Menby Joe DiPietrobased on Schnitzler’s ‘La Ronde’Waterloo East TheatreBrad StreetLondonSE1 8TNBox Officehttps://www.waterlooeast.co.ukPreviews from Thursday 20 AprilBooking period to Sunday 18 JunePerformance Schedule:Tuesday at 7.30pm Wednesday at 7.30pmThursday at 7.30pmFriday at 7pm and 9.15pm Saturday at 7pm and 9.15pmSunday at 4pmTicket prices: Previews: £30 for (front two rows) premium seats £20 for all other seatsFor the run premium seats £40 all other seats £28Contains strong language, homophobic violence and nudity Facebook@FKingMenThePlay