Stage: Let's talk about sex

The Sex Lives of Puppets
by Mark Down & Ben Keaton
performers Mark Down, Isobel Griffiths, Simon Scardifeld, Dale Wylde
directors Mark Down & Ben Keaton
puppets Russell Dean and Blind Summit
lights James Mackenzie
Southwark Playhouse Borough, London • 4-13.Jan.24 ★★★★

Working on a complex series of layers, this inventive adults-only show combines puppetry with verbatim theatre to explore issues relating to sexuality from a gleefully British perspective. A world premiere, the show is based on real interviews with people about their sex lives, which are then performed by the Blind Summit team with witty touches, big personalities and creative visual trickery.

Puppets take their place in the spotlight on a table either alone or in pairs. And it's remarkable how each figure blossoms with sparky energy, as performers take turns providing voices and movements. Couples bounce off each other in hilariously intimate ways as they speak about how they express themselves sexually. So each interview overflows with humour and pointed honesty, offering continual resonance. Some of these figures are so engagingly lifelike that we'd happily watch them share their stories for the full 90 minutes.

Puppets represent a wide range of ages, ethnicities, sexualities, social status and accents, plus of course varying levels of embarrassment about the topic at hand. Realistically, most warm up once they start talking, giggling about their interests, fetishes and feelings. So the chatter quickly traverses the emotional spectrum alongside the flirtation and nudge-nudge innuendo. Before the interval, the show climaxes in a beautifully surreal moment of eye-catching visual theatre, followed by an outrageous bit of shadow puppetry. Then for the finale, performers screen their faces for an amusing pile-on that's played for comedy rather than smuttiness.

Augmented by an effectively simple stage set, sound and lighting, the performers are dressed in black, never trying to be invisible. So they express their puppets' feelings on their own faces, offering a second play outside the play. This adds knowing, underlying echoes of fetishism and manipulation. Since the show is frank and honest about sex, some audience members might be taken aback. But it's never rude or shocking. And even though it's very funny, the truthfulness makes it feel eerily like watching a documentary. Indeed, many scenes offer genuine insight, such two elderly men talking about their lively sex lives in a retirement home. And it's here that one finally finds the courage to admit that that he's gay.

Because this is based on interviews, there is no further exploration of these bigger themes. But the point is that we rarely, if ever, speak about these things. And we need to be reminded that sex is different for everyone. So each anecdote will spark thought and discussion. And in the mean time, we can enjoy the artistry of these performers and puppet-makers,. 

For details, BLIND SUMMIT >

photos by Nigel Bewley • 5.Jan.24