44 Sex Acts in One Week

One of the best performances to grace 2024’s Brisbane Comedy Festival, 44 Sex Acts in One Week, was a hilarious, heart-warming, subversive, and intelligent show that stood out like a banana in your pocket.

The story followed Celina, a journalist stuck in the rut of writing clickbait articles for an overbearing and exploitative boss. In order to make her overdue rent, she must take on a challenging assignment. She has one week to road test and review every act in a provocative book titled "The 44 Sex Acts That Will Change Your Life”. To make matters even more complicated, Celina's only available partner for this daring experiment is Alab, a brooding animal activist and the office mail boy.

On opening night, the fun started before the narrative. Upon entry to the Underground Theatre, we were met with the ideal mix of party atmosphere and safe, welcoming space thanks to the work of Composer and Music Director Steve Toulmin and Lighting and Set Designer Trent Suidgeest. During the audience’s entry, the performers hit the stage for some pre-show shenanigans. Their music, dance, and costuming immediately indicated the show would be quirky, amusing, and inventive.

The comedy’s direction by Sheridan Harbridge was tremendously resourceful with an enjoyable use of live foley on stage adding another dimension of creativity and fun to the whole experience. The choice to use fruit instead of private parts was brilliant too. Under Harbridge’s direction, the entire cast committed all of their energy to fostering an environment of fun and inclusion from prelude to conclusion, and the audience lapped up every moment. 

Filling multiple roles, Rebecca Massey oozed charisma and delivered a performance that was dazzling, lithe, and powerful. Nancy Dennis gave such good face, proving what an expressive, hilarious, and dynamic performer she can be with her versatile characterisations. Aaron Tsindos delivered an eloquent, courageous, and authentic performance as Alab, supporting Amber McMahon’s vulnerable, genuine, and bright portrayal of Celina. All performers showed perfect comic timing and commitment to the endless physical gags.

While there’s no denying the non-stop, side-splitting physical comedy was amazing, even more impressive was the remarkably well written, clever, and meaningful script. A far cry from the formulaic rom-com, this lust-come-love story penned by David Finnigan pulled the great jester’s trick of making us ponder important social issues while simultaneously having an absolute ball of a time. This script’s clever subversion of the status quo and lampooning of authority peeked out from behind brilliantly funny dialogue, wagging its tongue at prudes and the powerful in equal measure. Of course, ‘44 Sex Acts in One Week’ was sex positive, but it was also egalitarian, patriarchy-smashing, late-stage capitalism obliterating, empathic, relatable, and profound. If you’re not too easy to blush and you’re reading this before May 25th, 2024, do your laughing gear a favour and grab a ticket. 

Kitty Goodall

Images: Philip Erbacher Photography (top) Nancy Dennis, Aaron Tsindos, Amber McMahon, and Rebecca Massey; (middle) L-R Amber McMahon, Rebecca Massey, Nancy Dennis, and Aaron Tsindos, and (lower) L-R Aaron Tsindos and Amber McMahon.