Are you an ethical person?
Simple but effective, this hour-long play set entirely in a bedroom follows the plot of Lance (Paddy Lish), a porn star, setting up to film a porn livestream with competition winner Sienna (Jessie-Wren Jacobs). As the play goes on, both characters begin to open up about their feelings and the past. The play starts awkwardly but finds its feet as time goes on, with both characters settling into their roles, Jacobs’ character Sienna transforming as she becomes more confident and assured within her mission. Over the hour, as the clock to starting the livestream counts down, the power dynamic changes as Sienna reveals more about her ethics, her motivations and how her past – or the universe – has propelled her to that exact moment, leading to a tense yet thrilling conclusion.
Reminiscent of Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, the play delves into discussions around pornography: the abundance of porn in society, if porn can ever be ethical and how the young can become introduced into this industry, using its characters as devices to fully explore the impact pornography has on people. While the play might initially take its time getting into the swing of things, it quickly becomes very immersive: I could not tear my eyes away from the actors during the play’s climax.
An important play discussing pressing topics and with a sense of creeping dread throughout, I would highly recommend this, especially for teenage theatregoers.
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