Opposites attract in provocative “Sex with Strangers”
Sexy, enticing title, “Sex with Strangers.”
Laura Eason’s “Sex with Strangers” is a deceptively simple play. What at first seems a sweet, meet-cute rom-com about a couple of writers turns into a provocative, loaded drama, not only a commentary on lust in the Internet age but a meditation on the nature of trust.
drama
Some skin, some racy language and knowing humor about how the Internet has changed human connections give the subject a very contemporary feel. Eason hints at light comedy with jokes about cellphone obsessives. But timeless questions about power, gender inequities and technological change ultimately ground the work.
The laugh lines are plentiful. But, the push-and-pull beneath the surface, the motivations of the play’s two characters, carry us deeper. When a relationship develops across the digital and generational divide, questions linger about what happened and why. We’re meant to pursue an argument out into the night.
In the regional premiere directed by Christy Montour-Larson at Curious Theatre, polished performers Michael Kingsbaker as Ethan and Paige Price as Olivia command rapt attention for two hours onstage and leave us mulling the story for some time afterward.
Kingsbaker is particularly at ease as the younger, digitally savvy, Wi-Fi-obsessed flirt. Ethan has attained notoriety as a blogger, whose first book, a compliation of blog-blather, was a commercial success. Titled “Sex with Strangers,” it was a semi-autobiographical recounting of a year’s worth of conquests. The online world is apparently still abuzz with gossip about his sexcapades. Now he aims for greater respect as a more literary author. Ethan’s character arc is involved but clear, and Kingsbaker has a
great range of intonations and expressions to convey emotions.
Price has a tougher task, because her character is less well-developed. Earlier in her career, Olivia wrote a novel that wasn’t so well-reviewed; now she’s fearful of publishing again. The conflicts she endures are numerous — to take the digital plunge or not? be bold or not? forgive or not? The interplay between the two is believable: They exhibit good chemistry, but her changes of heart sometimes feel random. Price is required to display quick emotional turns that sometimes read as weakness.
The Curious production benefits from a lavish, beautiful set, full of loaded, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, which double as the background to a bedand-breakfast in Michigan and as Olivia’s Chicago apartment. Scattered among the hardback tomes are a number of tablet screens that light up during scene changes, playing on the paper vs. pixel theme.
Privacy means different things to Gen X and Gen Y. Where Olivia has a box of old journals hidden in a closet, Ethan has an everlasting online trail of deeply personal information. The divide is interesting, but it doesn’t have to be unbridgeable. Does it?
Similarly, writing means different things when it’s done quietly, in solitude, over a prolonged period, as opposed to when it’s done quickly for a global audience of instantly commenting readers. The noise level is incomparable; the attitude is incompatible. Is one better than the other, or are they just different?
There’s something about the smell of old books that just can’t be replicated on an iPad. Or maybe there’s an app for that.