Marketed as a comedic, feminist fairytale mashup, the concept of Lady Wank (And Other Fairytales For Adults) offered much potential. Sadly that expectation was left unfulfilled. With an hour to play with, the company brought some fairly dead material to Brighton's FemFest 2020 Programme.
Laughter seemed to be reluctant and awkward.
Audience participation was encouraged on entrance into the auditorium and ensuing laughter seemed to be reluctant and awkward. The production's message was in questioning the central figure's feminism in the face of sexual submission. This question was initially depicted in sexualised fairytale scenes and then turned suddenly into a conversation in which writer and performer Julia Quayle's audience members posed as her feminist self and her vagina. While the idea could have taken off, in reality the script didn't quite add up. The performance failed to join the dots and convey the message that presumably was meant. This was a collection of thoughts that lacked a consistent backbone rather than a well-rounded thought provoking performance. I was hoping to leave the theatre thinking further about what it means to be both a feminist and in desire for submissive sexual practise. Instead I felt none the wiser and probably more confused than before.
Julia Quayle's performance however was strong, with a wealth of very impressive and convincing accents and interesting characters under her belt. This was a production that would have felt at home amongst Edinburgh's Free Fringe programme, alongside many other performers divulging into areas around feminism and the body. Sadly I won't be recommending this production to a friend.
