Very Pleasant Sensations
The Cockpit Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 25th July 2013
Paul J. Guest's bold new play is based on a diary entry written by Benjamin Britten (an upcoming great British composer) on Saturday 3rd July 1937. Very Pleasant Sensations is an imagined conversation which takes place between Benjamin, Christopher Isherwood and Wystan Auden while at the Turkish Baths, a gay haunt at 76 Jermyn Street, London. The Play sees Christopher and Wystan introduce Benjamin to the underground queer society.
It was quite something to witness the first ever public performance of Paul J. Guest's play. While there is plenty of room for improvement, the subject matter is somewhat intriguing. Fahmida Bakht's design is simple, but extremely effective, allowing the small cast to use various levels throughout the performance.
All three characters are highly complex and their relationships change several times throughout the piece. Director Dan Phillips has done an outstanding job as all these relationships were crystal clear without becoming obvious and predictable.
Benjamin Vivian-Jones, Ben Woods and Christopher York all gave strong performances as Christopher, Wystan and Benjamin. Their extravagant characterisations added a great deal of humor to the piece. However, the three performed a song in the middle of the play which felt a little awkward, I understand the vision but it was almost too much.
Paul J. Guest's writing is clever, introducing each character clearly without patronising the audience. However, as the play progressed into the middle and final sections, certain moments seemed to drag and the heat didn't help.
It was a privilege to see the very first performance Very Pleasant Sensations. The play can only get better so it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for this fearless piece of theatre.
The song was a very clever choice. It was 'Wenn die beste Freundin', a lesbian hit in 1920s Berlin and it made perfect sense to play with it in the context of this play.
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