Ani is a successful academic who lectures on Milton and has recently won an award for her latest book. She is in a relationship with a sensitive, gentle man, and on the surface, she seems to have it all. Yet beneath her success, Ani harbours a preoccupation with violent pornography which threatens to undermine both her personal and professional life. Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s drama explores two intertwined themes: the transgressive nature of sexual fantasies which gain their erotic power from being taboo and the fact that obsessive behaviour often stems from unresolved trauma. Ani’s addiction to porn and her excessive masturbation initially serve to numb her grief over her mother’s death. However over time, they begin to erode both her relationships and career. These themes are then developed through literary concepts, primarily drawn from Milton. The play opens with a reference to the Narcissus myth, which is later illuminated in Ani’s lecture on Paradise Lost, where she examines Milton’s use of the same image in relation to Eve. The mirror reflects a likeness that is simultaneously the gazer and not the gazer. This parallel between Eve and Ani continues throughout the play, with her serpent-like nemesis ultimately causing her to lose her paradise. The symbolism is overt from the start: Ani is first seen eating apple pie, and her literary award takes the form of an apple! Her grief is also analogously framed in the context of Milton’s Lycidas. Chetin-Leuner strives to walk the fine line between erudition and pretension by making her protagonist an academic, but at times, the narrative does feel weighted down by literary flourishes. While these may be intended to balance the frank, potentially unsettling, sexual content of the work, their effectiveness eventually becomes debatable. Nevertheless, the characters are vividly drawn, and the dialogue is consistently sharp and witty. Scenes with Ani’s boyfriend and father are genuinely moving, while the confrontation with a student disturbed by Ani’s lecture is delightfully sardonic. As Ani, Ambika Mod delivers a powerful performance, and Lizzy Connolly proves a veritable chameleon, successfully individuating a wide variety of roles. Porn Play may challenge those uncomfortable with explicit sexual themes or impatient with excessive artfulness, but it offers some provocative ideas and strong performances that make it compelling theatre.
Rated: ★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Helen Murray
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