Review: WET, Theatre N16

Holly (Tamsin Newlands) and Sophie (Claire Heverin) are aspiring (and broke) filmmakers. Frustrated by their sex lives and the lack of female-lead porn, they find themselves writing an erotic film of their own. Written by Grace Carroll and Bryony Cole, Wet is politely funny with a couple ingenious directorial hints.

Penned with a burning wish to start a conversation on the relationship between women and porn, the piece has all the intention to be open and bold but tiptoes too much around the subject and it's almost too courteous to have the impact that's in its potential. Carroll and Cole's script is based on amiable comedy but isn't revolutionary per se.

It is, however, a lighthearted chance to crack the door open on taboos. From the fluidity of sexual preference to org*sms, they touch base with all the key elements of the discussion. Newlands and Heverin are joined by Cole herself and Matt Daniels, the latter being the main source of the banter in the play.

The company is tight-knit with clockwork British humour; physical comedy comes together with peculiar directorial choices that ultimately make a huge difference in the production. Even though the new spaces of Theatre N16 make for a difficult makeshift stage (heating and noise control have indeed a big impact on the experience), they manage to turn the layout of the theatre to their advantage.

Costume changes and exits are carried out in plain sight at the back of the room and a large table covered in random objects isn't what it might seem: what looks like a bunch of props, is actually a collection of items used to make noises related to the actions shown on stage. While the actors mimic cans opening, water gurgling, glasses clinking, and so on, another one produces the appropriate sound from upstage.

All in all, Wet prefers a softer approach to the matter that results in a laid-back attitude that's maybe a bit too cautious.

Wet runs at Theare N16 until 3 May.

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