‘Sex Toys – the full-length version’ was originally written by C. Aspden Pomfret as a short play for a local competition. The play did very well and encouraged Aspden to develop it further, making it into a 2-hour ADULT comedy. This play has now been taken up by ARENAarts who are presenting the show at 8.00 on Friday and Saturday evenings until Saturday 28th March – with Sunday matinées on 15th and 22nd March at 2.00 pm. You can catch the play at the Roxy Lane Theatre, on the corner of 55 Ninth Avenue and Roxy Lane in Maylands.
Tickets from TAZ Tix 9255-3336, WA’s own and best community theatre ticket agency.
The Scene: Present day. Carol’s flat, somewhere in Perth.
The second is Cameron’s smart and upmarket pad.
The set: designed by Aspden and carefully and smartly constructed by Jim Chantry. Both apartments had cream walls adorned with an impressive selection of paintings. There is a door release ‘phone.
Act One; we start in Carol’s flat. It is a bit unkempt with a black pseudo-leather couch and chair and coffee table. There is a stylish dining table with central Chinese pedestal support. A drinks bar is in the corner.
In Act Two, we are in Cameron’s smart and upmarket pad. There is a large window with smart curtains. The three-piece suite is an Italian high back made of studded tweed and oak frame. Another fine display of art.
The excellent props were supplied by Aspden Pomfret, Marina Cappola and Christine Ellis.
Lighting and sound design was by Simon James and operated in conjunction with Fleur Pereira. The crisp sound recordings were by Steve Pomfret.
Stage manager Marina Cappola and her crew of Misty Sansom and Don Weaver carried out their changes behind a closed proscenium curtain.
Production manager Christine Ellis worked well with the publicist, Kirsten Halford-Bailey.
In her twenties, Carol (Rebecca Hook) has invited her two best friends, Jillian (Kerri-Anne Head) and Cameron (Craig Lamont) around for a drink. Carol needs to discuss an intimate problem with someone. It seems that Carol’s long-term partner, Bobby Boobsey (Benedict Chau) who is on a business trip overseas, has been returning with expensive but unsuitable gifts for her.
Cameron is quite excited by the discussion and appears to be getting tips for his relationship with his love of the month, Trisha (Kym Norris). It seems Jillian is a little bit strait-laced, or is she?
When Cameron has his 30th birthday party he invites his regular but strange friends (Misty Sansom, Christine Ellis, Luke Heath, Jack Badenoch and Chris Harris), however, two surprise strangers turn up, Madame Triple X (Marina Cappola) and her assistant Mr Killjoy (Dan Oxley). What can be going on?
Costume coordinator Chris Ellis brought fun to the show, especially the final party scene.
Carl is an award-winning writer and respected director who normally produces historical pieces. This play is quite a new venture. It is accurately written in the vernacular of today’s 20 – 30-year olds, discussing topics that would not have been mentioned behind closed doors thirty years ago. At the charity preview show that I attended, I was one of the younger members there, so some of the audience found the number of F-words a little difficult to handle. There are lots of laughs, it is not lewd but if your knowledge is tuned in to present day topics such as Tinder then you will appreciate the humour more.
The four leads worked exceptionally well together with brilliant chemistry. I don’t think that I have seen Craig perform before, but he is a natural comedian. Benedict always plays the dumb, vague characters so well. The girls tried to show modesty whilst really being quite excited by the strange situations. Well done.
The show’s first Act had good pace, but it seemed to slow for the second Act which despite great ideas and themes, never really developed. Sorry to director Aspden, although well written with all of today’s mistrusts and emotional doubts, I think this is a prime example of a play that could have been so much better with a director that was not the playwright. Better still, a female director would probably have handled the intertwining relationships more subtly.
It was good fun well presented. Looking for a zany play to put on, this could be it.