Sexytime! Preview

Rip It Up Review

Halfway through Tessa Waters’ latest offering Sexytime!, I thought I was going to be sick. Two glasses of savy blanc, combined with 30 minutes of non-stop laughter, left my head feeling lighter than a helium balloon (which, incidentally, will be extinct in 40 years when all the Earth’s helium is used up).

Relief was far from sight; from the curious opening flourishes of the Adam and Eve interpretive dance, to the smouldering gazes of the closing ‘morning after’ scenario, Tessa Waters (as Woman) and Kai Smythe (as Man) owned the petite Town Hall stage.

Everyone is sure to find some echo of their own ‘sexytimes’ in this extremely physical comedy, whether it be the jaunty goodbye scene following a one-night stand or the hip-bumping mating dance to Mr President’s Coco Jambo that preceeded it. My advice? Go easy on the pre-drinks; and don’t sit in the front row if men fondling their belly buttons turns you off.

Final word: Salacious

Date: Sat 26th Feb 2011

Source: Reviewed by Jacquie Lee for Rip It Up Mag

Fringe Benefits Review

Alicia: You know what Emmica, I never thought I’d be able to say that I indulged in 45 minutes of great Sexytime at the Adelaide Town Hall – but now I can well and truly tick it off my bucket list!

Emmica: Agreed Alicia! You could say it was one of my more spontaneous nights but hey – you only live once!

A: Amen to that sister. Can’t say it’s every night that I find myself grinding against some sweaty guy wearing a tastefully tacky 70s shirt, bad 90s music pumping away. No – that’s just my weekends! Well hey, my weekend came early when ‘Man’ (Kai Smythe) grabbed me from the audience…it was a dream – as if all my Saturday nights had come at once – and that ain’t sarcasm babe!

E: It must have been very difficult for you not to get too excited over Man’s sweaty chest and impressive mo. Although you’ve just got to watch that sexy, vixen ‘Woman’ as she would be sure to start a cat fight…or perhaps invite you home…

A: Indeed she was fierce…in the fabulous ‘I am woman- hear me roar’ style. But hun, once Man saw me I am sure there was no argument in his mind – pity she had so much power over him, just a movement of her eyebrow and he was putty in her hands. Shame, I would have loved to get to ‘mo’ Man a bit better…get it…mo?!… Okay so that was a bad joke…

E: So on that exceptional dad joke, perhaps we should introduce the readers to the show properly? There’s only so much cheesiness one can take.

A: Cheesy? Us? Never! Well…probably…but I’m guessing our readers want to know what the heck is going on, so without further ado it’s probably time that we explained…

Sexytime is a brilliant Fringe show created and performed by the hilarious Tessa Waters, who plays Woman, and co-starring the alluring (a term used loosely) Kai Smythe as her counterpart, Man.

As the name implies this show is all about sex, sexy times and times of sex. It is most definitely not one for young kiddies but that is the only exclusion and restriction for this wonderfully open performance which celebrates a subject which is often still seen as taboo. There is dancing, miming, Tessa Waters’ fabulously indulgent acting and laughter around every corner. You will giggle like a school girl every time the word “sexytime” (or anything relating to sex) escapes Waters’ mouth – it’s all in the way that she says it.

Sexytime is a grand affair of comedic brilliance. The players’ interaction with the audience is seemingly improvised and the show includes anything but stereotypical “sex jokes”. It is completely unique and the characters portrayed are extremely original.

A: Emmica and I adored the show, but personally my only piece of criticism; I wanted longer lasting sexytime! Either that or we will just have to go again!

Date: Monday 7th March 2011

Source: By Alicia Norton and Emmica Schlobohm for Fringe Benefits http://www.fringebenefits.com.au/fb-review-sexytime

Sexytime! Chortle Review

Tessa Waters and Kai Smythe are very brave. Not only because they are performing a comedy show with barely any words, but because they begin it with barely anything on. Where else to begin an exploration of sex, but with Genesis? In little more than flesh coloured underwear and leaves, they give us an amusing take on Adam & Eve. The leaves drop and reveal naughty bits drawn on with texta. It's sort of extreme version of the nude suits that Judith Lucy, Denise Scott and Linda Gibson used to wear, and it can be a bit confronting in the front row.

Tessa and Kai obviously have a very close relationship off stage, for they often get quite intimate. Between sketches their on-stage interaction reminds me of Die Roten Punkte, with Tessa's Germanic accent sealing this impression. Kai does not speak at all but still manages to create a fabulous sleazy persona. Their flirting with the audience has a consequence that surprises everyone when a girl's dad kisses Kai on the cheek. He reacts perfectly by going all coy, yet strangely delighted.

The show itself is a neat 50 minutes of silent skits set to music, all about sex. They tend to involve a lot of mime and interpretive dance, so if these aren't your thing, you might want to find some stand-up. Still if you stayed you might be pleasantly surprised. Tessa and Kai are hilarious at what they do. I enjoyed the armed combat with cardboard ‘penis and boob’ shield vs cardboard ‘cross with Bible’ shield, played out to the overdramatic strains of O Fortuna from Carmina Burana. Appropriate music if you know it is a celebration of sex, gambling and drinking written by some very naughty monks.

Their final and longest sketch presented all the awkward horrors and delights of a first date that lasts 'til morning. Stripped back down to their undies, the sweet ending mirrors the opening sketch but with an appropriately happier, healthier outcome. Not all the sketches are as brilliant, but their kooky characters are able to pull it all off – so to speak – and keep the audience in fits.

Date of live review: Saturday 26th Feb, '11

Review by Lisa Clark for Chortle.com