Sleeping with Straight Men

Synopsis

In 1995, an American talk show invited guests to reveal their secret crushes, in person, to the unsuspecting objects of their affections. Inspired by this, and the shocking events that followed, Ronnie Larsen created a sexy, satirical comedy... Stanley only ever seems to fall for unavailable men. So he can't wait to go on The Jill Johnson Show to tell the fiercely heterosexual Lee that he's his secret admirer. But no-one - Stanley, Jill or Lee himself - could have been prepared for Lee's reaction.

Our Review:

16 January 2012

Inspired by the 1995 shooting of a gay man by his secret crush following their appearance on a US talk show, Ronnie Larsen’s play Sleeping with Straight Men, written shortly after, is a darkly comic look at how far we’ll go to find fame.

Stanley (Wesley Dow) is bored by small town life, and desperate to leave stifling Pontiac, Michigan. Despite the protestations of his mum (Julie Ross) and best friend, local drag queen Miss Sally (an impressively lunged Martin Milnes), Stanley sees a feature on Jill Jones’ hit talk show as his way out. Confessing he has a crush on straight local waiter Lee (Adam Isdale) Stanley sparks a predictable chain of events.

The big question about Larsen’s flimsy comedy is why he has stuck to the events of the real story so closely. I’d like to avoid spoilers, but nothing about this play surprises. The first half plays up the comedy of a gay man desperate to score with a straight; t...

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Latest User Review

iain dundee - 8 February 2012:

Well staged good humour for a poinant subject. Only in London once per year for one week and have seen five shows including wizard of os and this was the best of the five....

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