Bisexuality can often be lost in the LGBTQ+ representation, but this beautifully honest and moving show gives it the representation it craves and deserves.

Thirsty, written by Stephanie Martin and produced by Ellie Stone and Louise Beresford for Bruised Sky Productions, is made up of a cast of four actors, with three of them playing multiple characters. Sara (Louise Beresford) is a thirty-something year old woman navigating a still-raw breakup with her first girlfriend and all the internal and external conflicts that come with it. However, Martin chooses to not solely focus on the relationship/breakup and instead takes a more whole approach to Sara’s life, highlighting other relatable aspects such as her career development and relationship with her two friends Alice (Anna Spearpoint) and Jen (Greer Dale Foulkes).

There was no weak link in the show, and I commend Spearpoint, Suppa, and Foulkes for switching through characters with ease. Spearpoint provided most of the laughs for the show, playing Alice as sometimes ditzy but overall having good intentions. Foulkes provides the most depth as Jen. Beresford is absolutely outstanding as Sara. She was so real and I felt so connected to her, I wasn’t fully convinced I was in a show at all.

Thirsty hits all of the topics. It really feels like the characters are having real conversations and not reciting a script. The portrayal of sex is stunningly beautiful and done with taste and care. Alice and Jen’s reactions to Sara’s coming out is perfectly awkward, and I literally cringed at their unfortunately all too relatable responses. (“I don’t think I could ever go down on a woman.” “How do you know what to do?” “I find it hard to trust men – maybe I’m secretly bisexual too!”) Sara’s mother’s “This is just too much” was heart-breaking, especially when Sara gives such a good explanation of ‘queer’ as a general term that has been reclaimed.

Although it is a big part of her life, it’s just that – only a part. Sara is whole as a character and not defined only by her sexuality. Her relationship with Jen is one of my favourite parts of the show. The show begins with their relationship strained because Jen is doing, in her words, “the right thing” by being married and having children (i.e. living a heteronormative life). Jen thinks Sara judges her lifestyle, and Sara thinks Jen doesn’t take her and her queerness seriously. The development of their relationship in the short hour-long show time is so uplifting, and Jen’s final line, “What do you want to do today? You can do whatever you want,” is such a simple yet hopeful ending to the show.

I am so grateful I got the chance to see this show; it is one of the most profound things I have ever seen. Thirsty is on in Cage at the Vault Festival until Sunday, February 5th.

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

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