Friday 22 November 2013

A THRILLING NIGHT AT THE NEXT ROOM

Last night saw the opening of In the Next Room, a vibrant comedy tragedy directed by Laurence Boswell, written by the American writer Sarah Ruhl, which started it's life in Bath. The other title The Vibrator Play. Beautifully staged at St James's new and very swish theatre, in SW1. With a restaurant and bar, it is certainly a wonderfully comfortable place to spend an evening. I also was given a vibrator, The Thrill by We Vibe,  that to my certain knowledge cost about £100.00 as a gift.  I know, because last week I went to Hustler on sunset Boulevard, the famous sex shop, and was horrified how expensive it was to have an electrical orgasm. So I was hugely grateful for this was a gift.
The audience was as interesting as the play, with Ruby Wax, Kathy Lette and Nancy Dell'olio all in one row, along with The Sunday Times  writer Camilla Long looking over our shoulders with her critical eyes. Long ago I spent a Summer with her and Isabella Blow, she was a sweetie pops then, and had written a piece on me for The Tatler. She compared me to Marie Antoinette. Well that's a compliment, except of course she lost her head.
Back to the play, a comedy tragedy which would funnily enough be better without the laughs of the audience, who nervously did not shut up. A serious and rather sad play which was poignant and had masses to say. It discussed the inability to be happy if you don't have orgasms, the relationships of husbands and wives, the new invention of electricity which brought us the vibrator all shown on the  stage on two levels. Science versus emotion, about race, about art, death, it was played for laughs and in my opinion it should have been played for smiles.  We English are definitely uncomfortable with the subject of sex.

This is a play which will be full hopefully every night, with depth, intelligence and panache it is well worth going to. It will make you think and amuse.

1 comment:

Vince said...

Electricity, vibrator, orgasm and Facebook are closely connected. If Giacomo Girolamo Casanova only had Facebook instead being limited to Venice only...