Perth
Written and directed by award-winning theatre maker Gita Bezard, The Talk is a fast-paced 70 minute comedy, exploring what we say to teenagers about sex, and what we don’t.
Eva is 15 and unsatisfied with the sex education she is receiving at school. The dry and anatomical approach, comprises of condom demonstrations and close-up slides of Chlamydia. She wants to know more, and why the idea of sexual pleasure is taboo.
Cassidy Dunn as Eva is natural and highly engaging. Her vulnerability is earnest and her determination for answers and the promotion of female sexual expression, thought provoking.
Christina Odam gives entertaining performances as Eva’s school friend, older confidant and later father, yet, it is Megan Hunter that steals the show. Playing the roles of multiple friends of both sexes as well as Eva’s mother, Hunter’s versatility, physicality, and comedic timing are exceptional.
This play highlights the information gaps and challenges that adolescents and particularly girls are faced with: the chief focus on the negative consequences of sex, rigid gender categories and the heteronormativity of sex education. What is clever about this production, is that these momentous issues are examined through a teenage lens. And so we see these teens question, explore and fight for their sexual freedom and information. Set to a pop soundtrack that emphasises the veracity of sex in popular culture and accompanied by some killer dance moves, The Talk is wonderfully energetic, funny and poignant.
Highly Recommended
Loredana Cross – Theatre Now
Presented by The Last Great Hunt, The Talk plays at Subiaco Arts Centre until 21st April 2018. Tickets: https://www.ptt.wa.gov.au/venues/subiaco-arts-centre/whats-on/the-talk/
