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An entertaining if tangled look at modern dating.Summary
Rating
Good
For anyone in the audience currently using Hinge, Tinder, or any of their contemporaries, the opening scene of Sacred & Profane may feel something of a direct attack. Cash (a perfectly slimy Ben Felton), the human embodiment of a paid dating app, singles out – well, singles! and reminds them of their fears of being alone forever, the tragic nature of their lives and their overall incapability to hold down a relationship. But never fear, Cash has a solution to all your problems. All you have to do is set up a direct debit and you’ll have access to a whole artillery of tips and tricks to get the girl of your dreams! As long as you follow the process (and keep your card details updated), there’s no way you can fail.
Sacred & Profane consists of two intertwined stories. First we have two women who have just lost their jobs at a casino. One, Nancy (Athena Zacharia), was asleep at the roulette wheel — not the best place to take a nap, but she’s up at all hours trying to make her rent money. The other, Stella (Jazzie Ricks), has been making a little extra on the side in the form of stolen wallets. She’s adamant that the owners won’t miss them; they’re all rich enough that American Express can cover their carelessness, and they spend so much as it is that skimming a little off the top will hardly make a dent.
Then there’s Lad (Stanley Karikari). Lad is dating Mary (Emma von Schreiber), who he met online. They’re the embodiment of ‘just my type on paper’, sharing the same surface-level beliefs and not much else. Despite this blooming romance, however, Lad has found himself in some hot water. Another woman he met online has a compromising video of him and is demanding a considerable sum in exchange for keeping it to herself. He’s a little stressed out.
As Lad’s life falls apart and Nancy and Stella start to reap the rewards of their criminal escapades, writer-director Samantha Gray takes a look at the hazy intersection of love, money and power, while mocking the gamification of romance in the digital age, questioning the transactional nature of dating and bringing in themes of class disparity, sex work and the undying human desire for connection.
It’s a production that’s somewhat overstuffed with ideas. As the proverbial curtain falls, it’s unclear exactly what we’re expected to take away from events. The different plot strands aren’t entirely tied up by the end, and character motivations remain somewhat muddy. It’s an undeniably entertaining hour, but the actual point to it all remains somewhat evasive.
Fortunately, it takes a while to notice any structural weakness because of the stagecraft and performance quality seen throughout the show. The unconventional space is used to its full extent, with action taking place across the whole room and a set that’s neither overcrowded nor sparse. Although there’s a certain lack of confidence in the team’s ability to complete speedy scene transitions (there’s a lot of longer-than-needed blackouts), this is nothing that couldn’t be easily solved.
The cast’s snappy movements and confident delivery make each joke land, while also shouldering the weight of the occasional serious moment. The extensive rehearsals that must have been required to achieve such spot-on physical performances have certainly paid off, particularly for Felton as the in turn comical and then threatening Cash.
While it may need a little tightening up, Sacred & Profane is a well-produced, laugh-out-loud production that’s far better value for money than a dating app subscription could ever be.
Written and directed by: Samantha Gray
Produced by: Emily Richelle
Sacred & Profane has finished its run at The Space but is available to stream here until 12th May.
