It may have just been that I was a good 20 years younger than most of the audience, but I felt like I’d gone back in time with Rosie Wilby’s Is Monogamy Dead?
With frequent references to George Michael’s sex life and a live (if not corny, and in an awkward way) audience game of Family Fortunes, the show felt dated. The topic of the show, however, certainly appeals to a contemporary (and younger) audience. Sex. Apparently trying to focus on the eponymous question, Wilby’s material examines the ‘crossroads’ of relationships and sex to see whether we are capable or not of remaining in a two-person relationship.
Unfortunately, the question was never really answered. Wilby drew more attention to her lesbianism, her euphemistic road signs and attempts at scientific explanations for certain relationships than getting down to providing an answer.
There was a good foundation to the show and one could see her genuine interest in the subject, but in getting down to portraying this on stage, it seemed a bit hazy. Frequently going off on tangents about birds in saunas and ‘celebrities-we’re-allowed-to-sleep-with’ lists (exclusively those who are a little past it), it is no surprise that Wilby concluded the show by having her fantastical Ed ‘Milli-pede’ provide an answer. Well sort of. He told her to ask the audience. Great.
I certainly won’t be asking Ms Wilby or Mr Michael for any sex tips.
