Revu The (unforeseen) Annoyances of Intimacy

“The (unforeseen) Annoyances of Intimacy” Poster

An impressively high energy farce that needs to sharpen its punchlines: The (unforeseen) Annoyances of Intimacy

Stevie has just landed a career changing stage role, the only catch being she will have to be intimate with another actor on stage. To soften the blow to her partner, Lime, she invites over the other actor she will be getting intimate on stage with as well as their intimacy coordinator. What follows is Stevie’s well intentioned but perhaps less well thought through plan as seemingly everything that could go wrong, does indeed go wrong.

From the outset, it is clear what The (unforeseen) Annoyances of Intimacy is trying to do, before the show begins, soft techno music plays with the word “intimacy” repeated over and over again. It is only apt then that much of the comedy within this production is crude and/or sexual. However the writer, Adam Mir, make sure the show itself is never too cheap with this comedy, with a particular highlight being an physical grounding exercise led by the intimacy coordinator in which they must all “fuck the mud.”

The production’s energy is its greatest strength as well as the chemistry between the actors as they bounce off of one another throughout the show. Equally, and again fittingly, the show builds to its climax well and its use of puppetry near the end is another highlight.

However, the direction and blocking of the production at times feels flat, with the key item of the set, the dinner table, feeling like more of a hindrance than anything at times as the actors have to navigate around it. On top of this, the show could afford to build on its characters more by giving further eccentricities and jokes beyond just those related to sex. There are nuggets of these here such as Stevie’s inability to pronounce the word lasagne and saying La-sag-nee throughout the show or one of the other characters having a man waiting for him at home dressed as the Michelin Man waiting to serve him wagyu steak. Finally, the puppet that makes an appearance closer to the end of the show would be well served to be implemented more throughout and would add another element to this farce that would elevate it.

The team behind this production is clearly strong and outshine the production itself. A first show that may lead to better work down the road.

Tickets for the show can be found here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-unforeseen-annoyances-of-intimacy

2.5/5 Stars

By Ethan H.M.M