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A dramatic rom-com set in the afterglow of casual sex that touches you in all the right places

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The casual sex question – can it be just that? After Sex is a play written by Siofra Dromgoole and directed by Izzy Pariss, in which we join a newly formed casual sex pairing of a female character (Antonia Saliba) and a male character (Azan Ahmed). Through their intimate moments, we get closer to them as people, as they get closer to themselves. They get a handle on what they want, and learn what they need. 

Dromgoole’s script is fiery, funny, and rarely allows the characters to waste a word, but is never over-written. The poetic dialogue is never heavy handed, and the characters and their motivations feel entirely human and easy to connect with. As the play advances, we’re deeply invested in the couple, and whether they can steer their ship through stormy weather. 

The stage is set up minimally, some slightly raised wooden platforms arranged like a capital E with the tines of the E facing the audience. A pile of clothes remains on-stage which the couple draw from in order to dress themselves in between scenes – a tidy and swift device for drawing the audience in or out of the bedroom, and reflecting the level of inherent intimacy that our couple are sharing. 

The intimacy shared between the couple is executed well in that there is no nudity, but when a sexual position is inferred (or openly discussed), the two actors were in their expected bodily arrangements, but adjacent to each other rather than actually on top of each other. Not only is this practical for the actors’ ability to continue clear storytelling, but it also smartly maintains a theme of distance between the couple, even in their most intimate moments, there is something between them. 

Salib plays Her with power, but also a vulnerability. The moments of joy feel deeply sincere, but  in both moments of pain, and the occasional flash of cruelty from Her, Salib’s delivery is gut-punching.

Ahmed occasionally struggles with the more tender moments of the male character that were necessary to the storytelling. Ahmed plays Him with a vague aloofness, which serves the character well in shallow moments, and elevates some of the comedic lines to flourish. But as the show goes on, there’s an ask for the hard outer shell to be eroded away, and at times this feels unconvincing, and doesn’t do the character justice. 

It isn’t an untold story, but nonetheless After Sex successfully provides what feels like a fresh take. The characters aren’t cliché, it was frequently funny, but also provided depth and darkness. It binds us to two beautifully flawed characters that we painfully root for until the end.