Porn Play – Royal Court

As its unashamedly frank title suggests, Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s Porn Play isn’t afraid to tackle the taboo. At the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, Director Josie Rourke has staged a production that’s willing to match the script’s boldness.

From the off, Designer Yimei Zhao’s pillowy, plush, almost vulvic set draws the audience into the action at a perhaps uncomfortably close proximity. The whole room is covered in a pale, bouncy carpet; we’re asked to put covers on our shoes before we nestle into the space’s uniquely cosy seating plan. After we’ve settled in, we meet an unnamed seductress (played by a fantastic Lizzy Connolly, taking on a number of other roles) who slinks across the bed-like pit in the centre of the stage, writhing and sticking out her tongue in an arguably performative display of female sexuality.

By contrast, the first appearance of central character Ani (Ambika Mod) feels much more grounded. A successful professor, we initially encounter her as she celebrates winning an award for her latest book with her reliable, if uninspiring, boyfriend Liam (Will Close, another excellent multi-roler). But as a seemingly innocuous spat snowballs into a relationship breakdown, the elephant in the room emerges: Ani is addicted to masturbating to violent pornography. What Ani sees as harmless fun quickly begins to take over (and subsequently ruin) her life, forcing the academic to reckon with how sexuality and morality are inextricably bound.

The intimacy of both the subject matter and the physical space require extra nuance from the actors, and Mod is absolutely up to the challenge, delivering an astounding performance that is instantly compelling. As she brings out Ani’s warmth – particularly in more tender moments with her father (Asif Khan) – it makes the juxtaposition with her dark desires and the catastrophic impact her addiction is having on those around her even more confounding.

The setting of Porn Play against the backdrop of academia is particularly interesting. In one standout scene, Ani is visited by a student (also played by Connolly) who wishes to complain about the sexually explicit content of her lecture on John Milton. While Ani believes it’s important to interrogate art that makes us uncomfortable, the student wonders why the work of problematic men should ever be platformed at all. But if we can separate the art from the artist, is Ani justified in separating her porn habits from her attitudes towards women?

Sophia Chetin-Leuner doesn’t shy away from these tough conversations, and the script never relies on shock factor to make a point. Rourke even succeeds in making the play very funny in moments, without it ever becoming tonally jarring. But while the story is exceptionally well paced for the most part, there’s a sag towards the end as Ani reels from a monumental screw-up at her award ceremony, which takes too much of a surreal turn to have as much emotional resonance as the rest of the play. The final scene between Ani and her father, however, ends the play on a devastating high.

In one 105 minute act (and with a brilliant Ambika Mod at the helm) Porn Play challenges, entertains, and provokes – Sophia Chetin-Leuner is certainly a British playwright to watch.

Porn Play is playing at Royal Court until 13th December. Tickets are available to buy at: https://royalcourttheatre.com/

Reviewer: Olivia Cox

Reviewed: 19th November 2025

North West End UK Rating: