Theatre Review: "Tissue" is More Than Just a Play About Porn
Tissue is everything it claims to be; first and foremost it is a play about porn, but is also thought-provoking, feeling-arousing and conversation-starting. Dry humour sprinkled with sensual sounds and visual poetics make for a show like no other, one that talks dirty, thinks dirty, and isn't afraid of getting its hands dirty when it comes to touchy subjects.
Going in I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but no expectations lead to absolutely no disappointments. This show is impressive in all arenas, directed cleverly by Timothy Green & Samantha Nerida, to create a balance of candidly intimate moments mixed with overtly performative choreography. This balance is perfected by the charm and expertise of actors Ann-Marie Biagioni, Samjey Hayes and Jess Nyanda Moyle, whose characters are intermittently empowered and disempowered by the role porn plays.
In a time where perspective and story telling are essential these three actors master their craft in a cautionary tale, that tells of ecstasy and misery on both sides of the screen. The interwoven voices that could overwhelm and confuse, portray the way a relationship never has just two sides, especially when the rest of the world is just one incognito tab away. The characters are formed, and performed, with care, bringing to light the way porn can often reduce a person to their primal impulses to the detriment of everything else.
Though excellently written and expertly conveyed, Tissue is not for the faint-hearted. There is a tangible realness, a 'woke'ness if you will, to its challenging of the status quo, and if the skin on skin action doesn't get you going, the NBN jokes will. Try something new, buy a ticket to Tissue and let it make all your wildest fantasies come true.
