Written by Christina
Have you ever thought about having a foursome, but didn’t want to risk the possible trauma to your relationship? Ever wonder what voyeurism would be like but didn’t want to risk arrest? Are you looking for a unique, intimate, artsy experience in NY? It’s time to get a ticket to The Foreplay Play and start exploring your options!
The Foreplay Play is a new off, off-Broadway play by Mariah MacCarthy, directed by Leta Tremblay. It stars Lindsey Austen, Nic Grelli, Diana Oh, and Parker Leventer. Here’s the premise: A straight couple comes to a lesbian couple’s apartment for dinner, drinks, and a foursome. Things do not go as planned. The play is a site-specific production at an apartment in Williamsburg which means that after you purchase your tickets you’ll be given an address and directions to get there. You’ll feel like you’re going on an adventure to a friend’s house as you follow detailed instructions telling you what places you will pass letting you know that you’re on track. At the door you’ll be greeted by the playwright and director and welcomed in.
Next, take a walk up to the 2nd floor and arrive at the apartment of Izzy and Kelly. When you walk in you’ll notice that you’re in an actual apartment, except that one wall of the living room is lined with about 20 seats. The rest of the apartment serves as the stage. In the quiet of the apartment, you can hear two people running up the stairs and if you listen closely one asks the other, “Are you excited?” The doorbell rings and a moment later two attractive twenty-something women come scrambling to the door. They let their guests, Kyle and Anika into their home for the fun (and drama) to ensue.
As the story unfolds we discover how the couples got here. Izzy and Ani work together at a job they both hate. For Ani, its Izzy that makes the job worth staying at. Her feelings towards Izzy’s girlfriend Kelly aren’t quite as strong and the feeling is pretty much mutual. Anika’s boyfriend Kyle comes off as fun, loving, easy-going guy open to what the experience has to offer.
The couples encounter one snafu after another, from small things like not having a corkscrew to something bigger like Ani and Kelly’s inability to see eye to eye. Some of the mishaps allow for pairings in which we get to see two characters explore their feelings and each other. In one instance we see some seriously hot kissing and groping on the kitchen counter. Another exposes some pretty serious emotions and questions that have potentially lasting and even devastating effects. As if the tension and emotions weren’t palpable enough, the proximity to the actors makes for one very intimate experience. You’ll see and hear things that you would ordinarily have no business being a part of which is a piece of what makes the play so much fun.
If your plan is to watch four people have sex, don’t bother. But, if you want to see what really happens when two couples try to navigate their needs and desires within the confines of their relationships this play is definitely worth attending. You’ll witness wounded feelings & hurt egos, the fragility of bonds & the human heart, and people putting themselves out there & getting something very different than they expected. The Foreplay Play turns the fantasy of a foursome on its head and exposes the humanity and love behind its four endearing characters.