SEX/CRIME, 3 Stars

Posted on January 23, 2020January 23, 2020

By. lambco
Tag Adult, LGBT+, Play

SEX/CRIME
Soho Theatre
21st Jan to 1st Feb 2020

“In a fractured and divided city, two men; ‘A’ and ‘B’, meet to recreate the killings of a famous gay serial killer; for their own pleasure…and the right price.

“Everything else is tumbling down
Falling apart
But not you and me
You and me are going to hold tight
You and me are just right”

An exciting, challenging play that explores sex, violence, language, fear, intimacy, division, power and queerness, ‘Sex/Crime’ is a controversial and shocking statement on the state of today, both a hard-hitting ‘in ya face’ drama and an outrageous comedy.”

Review by Richard Lambert, 3 Stars

This hard hitting Queer Thriller drama is right in your face in Alexis Gregory‘s Sex/Crime directed by Robert Chevara. In the intimate space of the Soho Upstairs you’re never more than a few feet away from the action on this gripping play.

The writing is wonderful – twists and turns, comedy moments alongside some scary stuff. All accented by Mike Robertson‘s stark lighting design. With dark moments and blackouts, as well as shadowy scenes, the mood shifts in the play are telegraphed by the lighting.

It takes a while to take in the set as this extends around and behind the audience. Wall coverings of clear plastic vinyl – you imagine such as would be needed for splash zone in a prostitutes dungeon, and this is exactly the depiction of the man named ‘A’. Jonny Woo playing the professional rent-boy who sells role play scenes of a sexual nature, in this case, replaying a murder scene. Killing for recreation.

The man named ‘B’, Alexis Gregory, wants to be murdered and finds this a sexual turn-on. What he’s afraid of is being cuddled and close intimate relationships.

And so the dialogue battles between the two of them – how realistic should the scene become, and will there be a murder, are all the cards on the table?

With drug injecting, and over-dose, this isn’t a show for your Grandma. However if you want hard-hitting drama, and characters who are relationship challenged, you’ll get a kick, or a punch, out of this!

Photo Credit Matt Spike