After taking one year off and spending one year half-on at best, the Edinburgh Fringe is finally back in a familiar, recognisable form. And, better still, there’s a new crop of filthy but fascinating shows about sex.
Here’s a selection of my favourite shows from 2022’s Fringe Festival lineup. This is just a small sample – feel free to leave your recommendations in the comments.
Spanking the Monkey: The Etymology of Onanistic Euphemisms
[ Spanking the Monkey Tickets ]
An hour-long lecture on wanking slang by the slightly unhinged, but charming and knowledgeable, Oxford professor Richard (Dick) Handler. This is a warm, funny, informative and relatively gentle early evening show. You’ll laugh. You’ll learn something. You’ll leave with a dozen new ways to talk about wanking.
C*nt!
[ C*nt! Tickets ]
Continuing in an etymological vein, writer and artist Becky Fury presents an hour ostensibly on the history of the word “cunt”. Actually, there’s very little history – and instead a lot of cunt puns and jokes about various politicians being cunts. Nonetheless, Fury is an engaging host and it’s a fun and anarchic way to spend an hour.
Plan V: The Joyful Cult of Pussy Worship
[ Plan V Tickets ]
On the subject of cunts, Plan V: The Joyful Cult of Pussy Worship imagines a future world in which cunnilingus is a vital and central part of a (mostly) utopian pleasure-centric culture. Comedian Eleanor O’ Brien delivers a hybrid lecture and sales pitch, espousing the almost-religious virtues of oral pleasure.
Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees
This show, on the other hand, is all about blowjobs. It’s an excellently well-crafted combination of stand up and storytelling which manages – in under 60 minutes – to disassemble many preconceived societal notions about the act of sucking dick. Spectacularly amusing, beautifully written, and expertly delivered.
1972: The Future of Sex
[ 1972: The Future of Sex Tickets ]
1972: The Future of Sex is a piece of theatre firmly situated in the past – in the year 1972, to be precise. This short play tells the story of three couples having sex for the first time in a turbulent era of free love and polyester leisure suits. An intimate, knowing and witty look into the lives of several wonderfully authentic-feeling characters.
Awkward Sex… and the City with Natalie Wall
[ Awkward Sex and the City Tickets ]
A freewheeling night of storytelling about awkward sexual experiences – everything from misguided teenage attempts at erotic writing to embarrassing human bodies interrupting nights of passion. This is a warm and charming show that feels like it uses humour to reduce shame and embarrassment around awkward sexual encounters.
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