“A sharp, sexy little piece of theatre that is equally charming and titillating.”
Joe DiPietro’s 2009 play F**king Men makes a welcome return to the Waterloo East Theatre. This revival rides on the high of a stellar succession of runs, having sold out in 2023 and 2024 before making its final performances this year. DiPietro adapts Arthur Schnitzler’s controversial play La Ronde, written in 1897 — and earning praise from Sigmund Freud. It follows a series of ten individuals linked by sex: two play out their scene, one remains, is joined by another, and thus the cycle continues. F**king Men, however, plants gay men in the middle of the action in this modern retelling.
Steven Kunis’ directing is snappy but unrushed. We open in a seedy world of waka-waka guitar strums and pink lights, but as scenarios play out less like porn scenes and become increasingly sincere there is no whiplash. Kunis allows space for breath between the humping, we even get a little choked up. The relationship between each couple is highly compelling. By turn we see married couples who try non-monogamy, impulsive hookups that become regrets in minutes, and an especially brilliant scene of comic wizardry from Sven Ironside in his turn as a yammering beatnik playwright, kiki-ing with whoever crosses his path with a severe intensity.
One piece of ingenuity in the work is the fact that the cast inhabits many roles. Benedict Clarke is particularly adept: flipping between a hopelessly romantic pornstar with a heart of gold, a manipulative rich-kid getting his kicks in his dorm, or a Blanche DuBois-esque gigolo simply making ends meet. Clarke’s highly expressive face allows him to work wonders, particularly as the beady eyed college student, always figuring out how to get his hookups to waver to him like a true homme fatal. Peter Caulfield, too, manages to slip between the gruffness of a closeted soldier and the airy affectations of a haughty queen with ease. Rob Alexander-Adams, though relegated to jaded older men, still finds charm and gravitas in his superannuated silver foxes.
The moody lighting designs of Alex Lewer and clever sets from Cara Evans create a dynamic but always plush environment — the use of smart glass partitions is especially smart, though they do take quite a beating during the frequent trysts. What particularly stands out is the intimacy direction, courtesy of Lee Crowley. Though there are of course frequent sex scenes, they are by no means robotic. Crowley manages to imbue these moments with a steamy, frank naturalism. One wonders how a cast who are so frequently in their underwear stays warm in the draughty theatre.
F**king Men, while animated and full of laughs, manages a diplomatic detachment from the rights and wrongs of sexual promiscuity. While liberal in its portrayal of non-monogamy and hook-up culture, it is neither a damning condemnation nor a glowing love letter. For some it’s to rekindle relationships, to others it’s just a living, more often than not it is a means of seeking connection that frequently leads to complications — nothing, indeed nobody, comes easy. It is a sharp piece that manages to touch, amuse, and arouse in equal parts.
F**king Men runs at Waterloo East until 4 May and tickets are available here.