Eleanor Conway is a woman on a mission. To highlight the reality of sex and dating in today's culture – especially if you are over forty years old. This work-in-progress show is raucously honest, insightful and refreshingly to the point with no holds barred as she bares her soul to us, plus she handles heckles and someone walking out of the show with dignity and a brashness that keeps the audience in check. At the same time, Conway connects with the audience in a way that is engaging and enables us to resonate with some of the experiences she had. Especially when it came to sexual hygene ettiquete, periods and achieving orgasms.
Raucously honest, insightful and refreshingly to the point with no holds barred
Although this show is aimed more towards the females, men also connected with Conway when it came to dating profiles. Two highlights in particular here stood out. People who are not 'all about the drama' when they actually were and men whose 'kids are their world.' Both sexes responded positively to her insights into what we all potentially really thought about those types of profiles, but what was more intriguing was that she was brave enough to go on and say swiftly afterwards that she didn't want children. By sending herself up as someone who would go more towards the men who had their children twice a week, she changed the energy of the show in a way that would then take us on a fun rollercoaster ride into other territory such as sugar daddies, playing the field and more without stopping to take a breath.
If there is one thing I think would improve this show, Conway needs to trust herself with her material more. She has created something that has passion, vibrancy and legs to go places and it was clear she has put her heart and soul into her writing. All it needs is her to relax into her journey with all she has written so she can be more at ease on stage.
Apart from that, Eleanor Conway: Talk Dirty To Me with a little more work will be a set that has the power to educate, empower and seduce all who watch it. It may not be to everyone's taste, but this show has the strong potential to be a success and was a hidden gem of Brighton Fringe that was not to be missed.
