REVIEW - SEX WITH FRIENDS (AND OTHER TINY CATASTROPHES)

GOYA are makers of queer theatre, and their latest offering is no exception. Sex with Friends (and Other Tiny Catastrophes), written by Sam Woof, is a new musical which centres around a group of six friends. Set within that period of life where your friends are your family. All 6 are distinctly different individuals with their own issues and challenges.

Mel (Jordan Stamatiadis) is struggling to find work as an illustrator and dealing with an overbearing mother. Marc (Sam Woof) keeps getting evicted and is disillusioned with love and relationships. Willow (Lya Luca) wants to travel, but her boyfriend Ben (Oliver Stockley) is trying to get his career in law on track. Lily (Lucy Brindle) is trying to make it as a journalist and then there’s Jordan (Laura Delany) who has more conservative beliefs compared to the group.

We begin at Mel’s housewarming party. Soon Ben and Willow breakup, with Willow going off on her travels. And new connections form between Ben and Marc, and Jordan and Lily. For me Marc was the best character in the show. Woof brings out the comedy within their script with excellent delivery. A highlight of the show for me was Woof singing ‘No Known Cure’ (for heterosexuality). It was hilarious.

The vocal talents of this cast are phenomenal. In particular, Stamotiadis and Stockley have incredibly strong beautiful voices. The harmonies are outstanding, particularly when Stamotiadis, Luca, Brindle and Delany sing together. The only gripe I have is that there were a couple of times at the beginning of her songs that Luca did not project enough, meaning the first few lines of the song were lost – she then found her grove in the song, but projection from the beginning should be worked on.

Woof’s script and lyrics are hilarious and sum up beautiful what life is like in your 20s.

Sex with Friends (and Other Tiny Catastrophes) is intensely relatable. It covers the period in life where everyone is trying to find themselves and forge a career. There’s a part where everyone cancels on Mel, and it reminds me of when you’re attempting to get a group together and you have to pencil in a date months in advance because sometimes, life just gets in the way. I especially enjoyed that there is no main character, we focus on each friend equally. It felt as though I was watching a real-life group of friends, and I didn’t expect to come out of the theatre craving Twiglets, but expect the unexpected I suppose.

Expect hilarity, relatability, phenomenal vocals and comical lyrics.

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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