If a woman asked you for a few of your pubic hairs, would you oblige? What if this was in a theatre with a packed auditorium and a bottle of Jack Daniels to ease your nerves? Well, you must go to see Bryony Kimmings in her hilarious show, ‘Sex Idiot’ if you are to find out how far you can push your inhibitions.
Comedy, cabaret, choreography of a sexual nature…. Bryony Kimmings is a remarkable young woman who is willing to share stories that most of us would keep hidden in the deepest, darkest pit. But not Bryony. She sets out on a mission to find out how she had contracted a common sexual disease; many furious emails, texts and angry calls later, she has found out the root of her ‘little problem’ but not without finding out much more about herself, her self-esteem and the self-destructive nature of so many relationships. Much of the laugh out loud comedy comes from the familiarity and simplicity of some many of her stories: jealousy, boredom, break-ups, make-ups, demanding partners, odd and highly uncomfortable sexual positions… The list could go on, and her list for different terms for the virgina certainly goes on long enough. Bryony entertains us with song and dance, highly inventive props and costumes and a wonderful honesty about her sexual past. She shakes away our prudish attitude to talking about sex, awakens us to the hypocrisy of labelling woman as sluts, and reassures us of a few basic facts of life: most importantly that no man’s penis is too big to fit in a condom…
While moments of the humour might not be to everyone’s taste, that is partly the point. By comparing human sexual behaviour to the mating practice of vultures, Bryony reminds us that sex and all its accompanying problems will always be both a joy and an agony in our lives. She rushes from costume to costume, song to storytelling, confession to comedy, creating an impression of a whirlwind life with lots of obstacles along the way – even if some of those obstacles are as simple and dull as a lifeless relationship where making tea and going to IKEA are the highlights of your day. She decks herself in flowers and a lacy dress, sips tea delicately and goes quietly mad with the monotony of her life; then she springs into a hedonistic frenzy, tears off her knickers and dances ecstatically around the audience. This is life, she is telling us, but she desperately wants to know why she can’t find a balance, happiness and trust. In a ritualistic ending, she immerses herself in the trappings and debris of her past relationships and one night stands – washed by a bowl of rum, feathers, deep heat, bits of wood, pubes… she comes away with a fresh outlook on life. Behind the crude jokes, the shock factor and the semi-nakedness, ‘Sex Idiot’ is much more than a comedy show. Bryony stands up to her past as well as refusing to be labelled. She is also a wonderful performer, an excellent singer and an impressive entertainer. If you enjoy laughing as well as being made to feel slightly awkward and uncomfortable, this is the show for you.