What is this new trend of actually watching sex on stage? I’ve seen a number of things recently with women and men pulling down their undies and the audience is sat there watching man cheeks thrusting and jiggling all around. Jonah, Teeth. There was a handjob in The effect. Isn’t there a more tasteful way to do this. Why does it have to be so literal?
I'm not very comfortable with it either, Broadway Flash, but they can't exactly fade to black, can they? (I usually just feel sorry for the actors involved.)
I don't know that 2-3 shows really qualifies as a "trend". However, simulated sex is different on film than on stage. It seems more personal, more like you shouldn't be there. But I also think thats what makes theater so beautiful, the personal connection.
As long as it serves the story, I don't really care. Portraying it just because you can is a different story
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
As long as it serves the story, I'm fine with it. Not comfortable with it? They usually-key word: usually- have some sort of warning in the plot description. If it's something like Teeth, unless you never saw the movie and didn't read the plot description well....that's your own fault. It's not a trend in shows right now. Exaggerate much?
I actually did go into teeth not knowing anything about it, which was perfect cause it was shocking and thrilling. I was in the front row for Jonah and it looked like they were actually f*cking. I feel like a lot of the sex scenes back in the day were done through dance or some sort of creative staging. Now it just feels like, well they have sex so we’re gonna show them having sex.
Broadway Flash said: "I actually did go into teeth not knowing anything about it, which was perfect cause it was shocking and thrilling. I was in the front row for Jonah and it looked like they were actually f*cking. I feel like a lot of the sex scenes back in the day were done through dance or some sort of creative staging. Now it just feels like, well they have sex so we’re gonna show them having sex."
It's not just a sex scene for the shock value or anything like that. Wicked has "As Long As You're Mine" which I believe is a very intimate scene and maybe graphic in the book (I could be wrong! I haven't finished the book)? but in the musical it is far from graphic. Hadestown also has characters being intimate through song and dance. There are many examples but those are the two that come to mind first. You're naming two off Broadway shows, and with one of them you can't take those scenes out because it is part of the plot lmao. It's not like every other show right now is trying to shove sex in our face. You need to chill. Unless you can name 5 shows that do try to do that. I'll wait.
Perhaps they’ve made changes since I saw it, but I actually found the sex scenes in Teeth to be somewhat tame, and so ridiculous as to never approach titillating or gratuitous. I don’t know how that show would have worked without it.
Dionysus3 said: "Perhaps they’ve made changes since I saw it, but I actually found the sex scenes in Teeth to be somewhat tame, and so ridiculous as to never approachtitillating orgratuitous. I don’t know how that show would have worked without it."
Since the OP thinks the sex scenes in “Teeth” are explicit I wonder how he would have reacted to The New Group’s “Intimacy” a while back. Now that was shocking.
this is not a "trend" if you've consistently been seeing off-broadway theatre for the last few decades...it sounds like you just happened to see your first few shows with sex.
Broadway Flash said: "I’ve been going to off broadway shows for over a decade, but ivenever seen this type of thing before. I also mostly feel bad for the actors involved."
No words.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
Broadway Flash said: "I’ve been going to off broadway shows for over a decade, but ivenever seen this type of thing before. I also mostly feel bad for the actors involved."
Did it ever occur to you that maybe the actors onstage each have their own individual relationship with sex that doesn’t align with your antiquated feelings on the matter? Just a thought.
Not a prude, just don’t think it’s pleasant to watch on stage. Aspects of Love they each had sex with each other (including with family members) but it was so exquisite and elegant not trashy and awkward
Broadway Flash said: "Not a prude, just don’t think it’s pleasant to watch on stage. Aspects of Love they each had sex with each other (including with family members) but it was so exquisite and elegant not trashy and awkward"
Ah yes, exquisite, elegant incest...
You see enough theater to know that it would be boring if every show was directed and acted the same way. You don't have to like it, but it is not a "new trend." Seems as though you happened to see a few shows within a narrow span of time that all had sex scenes. I've seen half a dozen shows so far this year and none had sex scenes - if we apply your logic to my experience, the trend seems to be no sex at all in shows.
Sex, in reality, is seldom elegant. And it is often trashy. These are good things. (Usually.)
If seeing acts of sex makes you uncomfortable (and I don't think it's a big deal if it does) maybe you should research a little more before attending shows.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
I mean, didn't Spring Awakening have a fairly graphic sex scene to end act 1? I guess in Rent it was more interpretive, but I think the wide variety of ways to depict sex on stage has been more than just a recent trend. You could say that maybe audiences like seeing things more literally depicted on stage nowadays (fewer dream ballets for one thing), but the director decides how to depict those scenes and now that intimacy coordinators are pretty standard, it seems like it's fine as long as actors don't have an issue with it? I could see the case for putting a parental warning for those kinds of things, but sometimes they're just meant to shock the audience.