Review: Bottom At Soho Theatre
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Last Updated 21 December 2018
Willy Hudson is looking for love. It’s not an unusual subject for a monologue. As a recent arrival in London, he’s working three dead end jobs, hitting the bars and having a fair bit of sometimes unsatisfactory anal sex. Here’s where we start to veer from comfortable, standard territory: the problem is that Willy hasn’t ever had sex without drugs or alcohol and he’s also fallen into the role of always being ‘the bottom’. It’s crunch time as he’s met a new man on Tinder who not only wants to do it sober but also wants Willy to be ‘the top’ for the first time.
It’s a whimsical and charming one man show and Hudson is an engaging and likeable host as he guides us round the fraught dilemmas of a 20-something gay man in the 21st century. There’s a quick strum on a ukulele, a bit of anxious dancing and a lot of Beyoncé talk. It’s occasionally chaotic and is definitely more cabaret than theatre although the show has dark undercurrents along with the anal sex references, exploring gender roles and the pitfalls of trying to live the life you want when there are boxes you can so easily be edged into. It’s amiable and fun and manages to while away an hour with a smattering of thought provoking moments amongst some buttock clenching talk.
Bottom, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE. Tickets £15-16.50, until 5 January 2019.
