My First Time

My First Time
By Ken Davenport and ‘Real People Just Like You’. Produced by Andrew Kay and Liza McLean with the Sydney Opera House. Director: Jo Turner. Featuring Sharon Millerchip, Josef Ber, Annie Maynard and Kristian Schmid. Sydney Opera House Jan 4-13, 2012

Hailed as being 'Direct from New York' and with a poster depicting the four actors nude but for strategically placed iPads - My First Time - which was derived from a blog comprising a vast collection of true life stories dedicated to the topic of losing one's virginity - promises to be a titillating, cutting edge production - and for the most part it does deliver. The ensemble cast demonstrates a relaxed, easy rapport and an impressive grasp on the multitude of characterisations set before them.

Alternately hilarious and harrowing monologues are presented in rapid-fire succession - interspersed with quick information ‘bites’ and continuous facts and figures being projected onto the back wall. Using their iPads as both lighting props and prompts - format and content-wise the piece is rather like a high-tech version of The Vagina Monologues on speed. For the most part, the monologues are performed solo, but a few times the performers interact, but only in the most loosely-implied of ways.

As slick as the performances are, given that the subject matter and writing is so explicit in content - I would have liked the stakes to have been raised even higher - theatrically speaking. The actors do justice to the material – which was at times, downright squirm-inducing - but there weren’t enough vivid depictions thrown in to really smack the audience upside the head. The promised ‘edginess’ comes off feeling a bit 'safe'. Let's face it, if we really wanted to use our imaginations - we could just read the blog. Having said that it's a fun night of theatre and the cast is superb. Sharon Millerchip's performance of the "At The Beach" monologue is a drink-spitting highlight.

Rose Cooper

Photographer: Dan Boud

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.