MR. TRUTH by Lauren Gillis and Alaine Hutton (Lester Trips Theatre/RISER Project). At Theatre Centre (1115 Queen West). Runs to April 24. $5-$60. theatrecentre.org. See listing. Rating: NNNN
If youre wondering if this hilarious and disturbing absurdist-leaning sex-themed sketch show from Lauren Gillis and Alaine Hutton goes there, it does and then some.
The duos deadpan yes-they-just-said-that characters lampoon all sorts of people along the sexual spectrum from dumb-ass woke dudes, to kinky goths, to womens self-defense entrepreneurs with a taste for blood, as they fearlessly and fruitfully explore an array of intersections between lust and life.
In one scene, two men present a how-to for mindful fingering, a practice that amounts to listening and being responsive to their partners sexual needs a bare minimum positioned by these clueless wide-eyed converts as some kind of life-altering insight worthy of their proselytizing. Another incisive skit imagines a womans conversation with her own anthropomorphized cervix (played by Gillis in an amazing costume packed with surprises) that quickly turns into an X-rated review of her eyebrow-raising sex choices.
In between live scenes and funny, well-produced videos projected onto the incubator spaces back wall are horror-inspired vignettes featuring a genuinely freaky demonic spectre, likely the titular Mr. Truth. The diverse collection of material generates the palpable excitement of not knowing which boundary they will challenge next everything and anything seems fair game.
A perfect comedic think-piece as the #MeToo movement becomes more than a moment, this bold exploration of sex and sexuality revels in many of the Gordian Knot complexities flagged in recent months to which there are no easy answers.
