The Big O Project, Review — Theatre & Tonic

★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Hollie

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

Age recommendation: 18+

Caution: This show contains strong language and adult themes with references to: sex, masturbation, rape, abuse, loss of pregnancy, grief and suicide.

Fed up with cheesy chat-up lines and signing up for Tinder every couple of months? This show provides a realistic and relatable female perspective on dating and relationships in the 21st Century. Filled with memories of modern-day and relationship cliches including faking it, learning about the birds and the bees and nicknames for the vajayjay, this show is a hilarious exploration of the female body and everything that ‘comes’ with that!

If sex isn’t usually on your radar then it will be now! As one of the protagonists states “Why accept crumbs when you can have the whole cake?” The performance opens with Lucy, a sexually active thirty-year-old and fully-fledged feminist, entering stage right. As a child, Lucy was told not to have sex before marriage and when discussing relationships with her nan, her nan responds with the classic line “Where does that lead to but the maternity ward?” As an adult, Lucy becomes a sex addict struggling with loneliness and her relationships both romantically and with her friends.

Lucy, played by Jade Dowsett Roberts, tells the story of her and her partner Ben and their experiences and opinions on sex and making love. In therapy, Lucy is asked to fill out countless questionnaires on a clipboard and she even asks for advice from Google! As a mentally unstable millennial, Lucy’s story develops throughout the show with many laugh out loud moments for the audience. Lucy and her friends provide many throwbacks of friends getting ready for a night out and partying in the club.

The show pushes boundaries and in a way is very thought-provoking in how men and women are still treated differently in 2023. The show provides relatable moments for both men and women, young and old. With affirmations playing in the background throughout the show and discussions around the swipe right culture and badges of honour, this show really made the audience think. You sit there not knowing what to expect. Are they really allowed to say those things? Is it acceptable to say them out loud? The laughs of agreement from the audience throughout the performance show that we have all experienced moments like these in our lives!

The effective use of minimal props, scenery and lighting to set the scene, allowed for Lucy’s tale of trauma to be told in a powerful way through the use of monologues and questions. Writer and producer Kim Cormack successfully interweaves fiction with fact as the actors tell Lucy’s story and intersperse it with contemporary references. It is interesting to see how lost little Lucy begins to attempt to piece her life back together in the second act. Lucy’s conversations with her therapist Dinah, played by Anna Bernard, were particularly impressive in the second half of the show and really made you sympathise with Lucy.