David Crofts
The Melbourne Times
August 2004

Man Woman Sex Revenge, the latest offering by Grainfed Theatre, is sheer adrenalin and pure enjoyment. Written by Steve Wheat (Red Sky, White Lie, The Write One Dot Com), it is a darkly funny and stylish thriller.

Following the breakdown of her relationship with ambitious lawyer Nigel (Craig Goddard), a devastated Simone (Sarah Bollenberg) is desperate for answers and revenge. But rather than puncture a tyre or spread a few nasty rumours about her ex, sassy Simone decides holding Nigel and new girlfriend Michelle (Lauren Clair) hostage at gunpoint is the best way to get her message across.

With the stakes desperately high, the play’s success lies in the razor sharp, vaguely cinematic dialogue and the ability of the cast to build and vary dramatic tension.

Director Beng Oh sets a frenetic pace, seamlessly cutting between the hostage saga and snippets of Simone and Nigel’s early relationship. An incessantly ringing telephone and a bunch of plastic flowers are a couple of the devices he uses to raise or lower the psychological stakes.

On opening night it took a few minutes to create the right level of intensity, but once this was achieved the audience was in for an electrifying journey.

Chapman’s in-your-face delivery, superb comic timing and ease with a gun, presents a woman in full control, right down to the jokes at Nigel’s expense and the gradual winning over of Michelle’s confidence.

Goddard is also convincing as the victim of Simone’s rage. Confused and bemused, he genuinely doesn’t understand what he’s done to be the brunt of her fury. Clair does a great job portraying Michelle’s leap from mute trauma to calm self-preservation.