44 Sex Acts in One Week, a new play by David Finnegan, tells the story of how one journalist and one borderline eco-terrorist inadvertently brought about the apocalypse with their torrid love affair.
We follow Alab (played by Aaron Tsindos) and Selena (played by Amber McMahon) as they…well, they have a lot of sex. To avoid eviction and save her career at a gossip rag, Selena volunteers to put the book 44 Sex Acts That Will Change Your Life by famous motivational speaker/professional dominatrix Malaine Gutierrez (played by Rebecca Massey) to the test.
44 Sex Acts borrows elements from traditional radio plays, which pay off massively. All of the actors double as live foley artists, helping to situate the audience in a number of environments. The production makes good use of a minimal set to clearly designate environment changes with smart lighting and sound design.
Despite the interesting production and well-done acting, 44 Sex Acts in One Week felt preachy and overly reliant on shock value. The simulated sexual acts (I would love to know the melon budget for this production) hit you over the head, and the plot itself feels a little tired, mashing up a pretty standard rom-com and a pretty standard apocalypse story.
44 Sex Acts does, in an interesting way, address climate change and its combatants, critiquing eco-warriors who can only think on a small, non-disruptive scale. The ending genuinely took a different direction than the one I was expecting, which is no small feat at the fringe, where nearly every show is desperately hoping to deliver a convincing twist ending.
Overall, 44 Sex Acts is best when it leans into being experimental and a bit silly; the show’s more serious moments are held back by a slightly clichéd plot.
44 Sex Acts in One Week is on at 16:40 in Pleasance’s King Dome until 26 August (not 12, 19)
Buy tickets here
Photos by Brett Boardman provided to The Student for press use