• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides

Sexy at the Camden People’s Theatre

February 2, 2018 by Seth O'Farrell Leave a Comment

Review of: Sexy

Reviewed by: Seth O'Farrell
Rating:
4
On February 2, 2018
Last modified:February 7, 2018

Summary:

An ambitious, funny and thought-provoking performance on all that hangs over sex, the female body and seeking oneself out amongst stereotypical projections

More Details

Sexy. That elusive adjective. The feeder of all sexual insecurities. The mythologising force which describes not the sexual act but keeps us all alert in the haziness of its mirage. Vanessa Kisuule’s one-woman show debunks and satirises the received projections and anxieties associated with that word, felt by women from early adolescence through to adult life. Sexy is about the individual women swimming amidst the disparate models of sexiness handed down to her, men’s approval or denial of her body and staying afloat while sensing a growing disconnect between herself and these encircling idealisations. It is not so much a dramatic monologue as it is a mise-en-scene of a teenage girl’s bedroom: the audience is recast as the mirror and the stage lights the hairbrush. Cue provocative dancing, twirling and pirouetting and flesh-slapping alongside lip-syncing and a comic, honest commentary. It would be difficult not to empathise with such run-throughs of anxious narcissism and to become absorbed in some of Kisuule’s personal experiences, even for the straight white men in the audience.

Loosely adopting an autobiographical narrative, Kisuule weaves together a performance built around her body movements, her lingerie attire, anecdotal monologues, spoken word poetry, a film projector and her own occasional voice overs. The result is a show which takes the audience through different idealisations and fetishisations of femininity, from the projections of Marilyn on the silver screen to Kissule’s own re-enactment of Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”. During the latter, she sings a large chunk of the song without any music and then has bits of the music play-and-replay over her resolutely immobile body, thereby regaining agency over a male (and generic) fantasy of black women’s ‘big butts’ and their rhythmic dancing.

While the first half of the show centres on the various images and notions of womanhood the female individual should emulate, the second half sees a much more genuine, expressive side to Kisuule emerge: here, in her capacity as a consummate spoken word poet, she directly addresses and sets out the alarming instances of prejudice and the multi-faceted setbacks faced by women of colour in a white patriarchal world. If the initial skits about sexy women ‘getting stuff’ that most are denied get a bit trivial, then, the more intimate ruminations about masculine power, the
systems of racial oppression and the denouement of taking someone home from a club are well worth the wait.

A strip show turned on its head. A multimedia monologue. An in-depth exploration into sexiness. Vanessa Kisuule’s Sexy is an ambitious, funny and thought-provoking performance on all that hangs over sex, the female body and seeking oneself out amongst stereotypical projections. If you find yourself in dealings with any one of these things, you should head down to CPT to check it out.

Author: Seth O'Farrell

Filed Under: Featured, Review Tagged With: Camden People's Theatre, Sexy

Join the discussion Cancel reply

NEWS / Japanese Romeo and Juliet to the songs of Queen announced

Coming to Sadler’s Wells in September as part of its world tour, A Night At The Kabuki is a retelling [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Paul O’Donnell talks about Shoot Festival

Shoot Festival returns this year with a mix of commissioned pieces and showcases of the best of Coventry’s arts scene. [Read More]

Review / The Man who Knew Too Much at Omnibus Theatre

A packed Omnibus Theatre lapped up the entertaining antics of The Man Who Knew Too Much. Co-Director and Co-writer Olivia [Read More]

Spotlight / Inua Ellams at 05Fest Lewisham

Inua Ellams, the Albany and WE ARE LEWISHAM  presents………. 05Fest, 10 – 19 March Poetry takes front and centre stage [Read More]

Review / Eng-er-land at the Alleyn Theatre

This new play, Eng-er-land  kicked off a UK tour with its opening performance in the Alleyn Theatre at Dulwich College [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • A Streetcar Named Desire- A cry of pain- Young Vic
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • Paul Hegarty in conversation with INK Festival,East Anglia
  • Japanese Romeo and Juliet to the songs of Queen announced
  • After All This- Ovalhouse
  • How to Applying for Arts Grants and Funding
  • The Cherry Orchard- a translation for modern times and a modern audience? The Young Vic
  • Seth O'Farrell
    Author

  • February 2nd, 2018
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook3TweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2022 · Blue Pie Media

     

    Loading Comments...
     

      Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

      Email sent!