Insightful, bold, spicy, and utterly compelling, Four Play has lost none of its charm, comedic power, and dramatic clout since it first premiered ten years ago. Jake Brunger’s updated play enables this witty, sharp, and delightfully staged production at the King’s Head Theatre to continue its evolution, just as human sexuality and our need for connection, touch, excitement, and love also continue to evolve.
Rafe (Lewis Cornay) and Pete (Zheng Xi Yong) have been together seven and a half years, and they love each other, or at least they think they do! For Pete, one question continues to niggle at him, a curiosity that keeps him awake at night: “What would it be like to have no-strings sex with another guy?” Rafe, on the other hand, while wanting to support Pete, feels happy and content, even though he knows their sex life isn’t everything Pete wants.
Meanwhile, Michael (Daniel Bravo), Rafe and Pete’s gym instructor and partner to their friend Andy (Jo Foster) has an open relationship, one that allows him and Andy to experiment with other people, as long as their strict rules are adhered to: it can’t be a friend; the sexual relationship has to be openly discussed and agreed by them both, and honesty must sit at the heart of each decision they make.
Could this open relationship be the answer to Pete’s desires to experiment outside of his relationship with Rafe? And could Michael fulfil those desires? As Rafe and Pete approach Michael with a proposition, two questions remain: is Rafe really entirely on board with the idea? And how will Andy react? Oscar Wilde once said, “The very essence of romance is uncertainty,” and the same is true of sex, even when the parameters of any sexual engagement outside of a relationship have been agreed upon. Rafe, Pete, Michael, and Andy are about to find out that honesty isn’t always forthcoming when it comes to carnal desires in Jake Brunger’s razor-sharp comedy/drama Four Play.
Brunger’s Four Play dates back to 2014/15, when he was asked to write a ‘state of the gay nation’ play, following the legalisation of gay marriage the year before. This updated version of his original play continues to prompt reflection on the LGBTQ+ journey we have taken, while also examining the social and cultural shifts within our community since its initial release in 2015.
How we love each other, keep that love, and equally satisfy sexual cravings has long been a question at the heart of even the most secure monogamous relationships. However, many couples avoid these discussions, while others live out their desires through secretive and damaging affairs; even in a more liberal sexual world, it takes bravery for a couple to face this subject head-on.
How we choose to respond to these sex and relationship conundrums continues to make Brunger’s chamber play an enthralling and engaging experience, as it opens up the conversations many of us choose to bury in fear of the response. Through the outstanding performances of Bravo, Cornay, Foster, and Xi Yong, this heartfelt, hilarious, and tender exploration of the complexities of love, sex, and honesty beautifully explores how all relationships evolve and change over time, and the role sex and desire play in that transformation.
Director Jack Sain said, “I found that much of Four Play feels eternally resonant. The anxiety of keeping up appearances, of mirroring the love you’ve been told is right, or existing within communities that hold you close yet pull no punches. Sain is indeed right; Four Play’s themes are eternal, while also holding up a mirror to the changing experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. However, while Four Play may centre around two queer couples, its themes are universal in a world where younger generations continue to reject social labels and challenge age-old barriers to relationships, gender, sexuality and sex, much to the disgust of many conservative groups, both LGBTQ+ and straight.
Insightful, bold, spicy, and utterly compelling, Four Play has lost none of its charm, comedic power, and dramatic clout since it premiered ten years ago. Brunger’s updated play enables this witty, sharp, and delightfully staged production at the King’s Head Theatre to continue its evolution, just as human sexuality and our need for connection, touch, excitement, and love also continue to evolve. At its heart, Four Play asks us two eternal questions relating to sex and relationships: What leads to happiness, completeness, and fulfilment? And does happiness come from following social constructs or being brave enough to carve a new but uncertain path? No two answers to these questions will be the same, and that’s fine – that’s human diversity in all its messy and incredible brilliance. Four Play reminds us that while broaching these questions may be challenging for any couple, honesty and communication are always a good place to start.
Written by Jake Brunger and directed by Jack Sain, Four Play, starring Daniel Bravo, Lewis Cornay, Jo Foster, and Zheng Xi Yong, with Jack Gibson covering, is playing at the King’s Head Theatre until Sunday, 17 Aug. Book Tickets.
Follow Us