Ryan the Lion’s flying pants landed on my head. Thus, I was initiated into Sex with Animals. With a background in experimental theatre, Ryan Good is refreshingly unconventional. Nobody knows what to make of Ryan the Lion’s feline foreplay. Following a furry striptease, his lycra lion skin is barely distinguishable from nudity. Then there was the post-pants bulge that must not be named… Ryan’s daring and his dimple-cheeked, whiskery charm (if not his bulge), won us over within seconds.
Then there was the post-pants bulge that must not be named… Ryan’s daring and his dimple-cheeked, whiskery charm (if not his bulge), won us over within seconds.
Though truly bizarre, this show does what good art should and tells you what you’ve been thinking your whole life. Ok, wait for it: descriptions of odd animal mating rituals pepper Ryan’s fascinating monologue, which harmonise with tales of human sex, mess, and love. Aided by large projected photographs and film, Ryan treated us to the hermaphrodite slug’s ‘dick-flower’, mating turtles (with noises) and moon-dancing birds. Singing Michael Jackson’s Rock With You with a rock on his cock was an apt demonstration of Lonesome George (the giant tortoise)’s sexual frustration. Other such apt demonstrations involving hand gestures (think lesbian bonobos), well-timed beer sipping (think giraffe urine) and three carrots (don’t think), were equally hilarious.
Ryan the Lion, a professed polyamorous bisexual, told stories as wholesome as juicy, hot apple pie. Sometimes drifting into a dreamscape, others reading from a mysterious (suitably) blue book, he would speculate on sex in a parallel universe or the quirks of internet dating. Grindr became the feline Rrrrr and we were updated on Ryan’s real-time internet endeavours. When a date failed to show up, it became clear that the lion costume hadn’t been the best option for a profile picture.
The jokes were non-stop. At points, Ryan had to pause for audience members’ hyena-like hysterics to quieten down. Opening up a taboo subject like sex provides both shock and relief, and Ryan’s antics made it all good, furry fun. At the end of the show, the audience looked like they were all ready to jump into a lion suit and spread Ryan’s lion love.
