Love Rash – Pleasance Theatre

First impressions can deceive. When the stage lights up, we see the least believable face possible, with a weird rictus in the face, and an even weirder voice filling the space, then the fear of having to endure a whole show like that becomes strong. Oh, my, how first impressions can deceive. Weirdness was just the tip of the iceberg (…or should I say fatberg?).

From writer/performer Natasha Sutton Williams, this one-woman show of comedy at the Pleasance Theatre is an exhilarating and alienating incursion into human beings’ desires and lust for connection. The first character (and the last) to appear is Gary Strange, a curious and thoughtful individual who screams offering for help from the sewers to the people who he records with his cassette recorder. He introduces us to the other characters, letting us know that these stories are reproduced verbatim, exactly as they were heard and registered.

First, we hear the story of Menstrual Man, and his encounter with Flora Fauna and her colourful habits. Then, Augusta makes a short stop to charge her phone and finds Miranda, to whom she confesses her youth affair with Tess, the cat. And finally, Gary comes back to tell us about being appointed to work for Thames Waters, and how he met Dallas, the gorgeous irresistible fatberg in the bowels of London to share with her their “… oh, I can’t say it”.

The performer becomes a vessel for these characters and every character has a distinct voice and unique body, and the changes and transitions are so smooth and seamless, that by the end of the play one ends up wondering which one was really the performer’s body. Every single appearance has such a weight, even the shy queer Jehovah witness who’s past we never get to learn.

An ode to simplicity, with barely any scenic changes at all, all the actions that we see are inside and around the actor’s body. And that body exudes energy all throughout the play, taking control of the whole room. From beginning to end, one after the other, the words pouring out of Sutton Williams become more and more inescapable. While being lured in into the narration of these characters’ depravities, the search for affection lying underneath becomes loud and clear. In the end, it’s difficult to decide if one should hate them or pity them, root for them or curse them. Even laughing felt awkward, and yet irresistible.

It would be nice to highlight some parts of the show, but it’s impossible. Some lines and actions of the characters are so remarkable and unique that magic seems to appear. Yet, the show is a whole world in itself, and even scientific facts like the taste of cats for umami flavours or the deep stinking bowels of London become an act in itself. Furthermore, the show is full of references to London and life in it, which made it interestingly close and relatable in the middle of these incredible stories.

Almost politically correct, almost insulting, the show is unmistakably unique and mouthwatering. Like Gary would lovingly put it, “the smell is fecal, but it’s so much more than that”.

Reviewer: Gonzalo Sentana

Reviewed: 16th February 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★