Sex

Reviewed by Vanessa Cate
Hudson Theatres
Through June 25

Luchino Vecchio’s Sex centers around 1920’s socialite and celebrity, Peggy Hopkins Joyce (Courtney Christenson). Said to be the inspiration for Marilyn Monroe’s character in the 1953 motion picture Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Peggy was basically a Jazz Age Paris Hilton — famous for her social climbing and romantic intrigues rather than any sort of talent.

The play takes place during a train ride in 1926, and observes Peggy as she seduces two men. One, Ken (David Abed), is an actor hoping to play the next Casanova; the other, Max (Maurice Neuhaus), is a man with a good family name (but who for some reason can’t return home to claim his money and enjoy his title).

Christenson’s portrayal of Peggy is clearly inspired by Marilyn Monroe in the aforementioned film. She and the other performers seem to have a good understanding of their characters, but the script doesn’t give them much to work with.

Joyce is a truly fascinating figure from Hollywood’s history. However, the play diminishes her intelligence and dumbs down her story. As dense as a Wikipedia entry, and filled with outrageously inept sex scenes, this is a remarkably unsexy play. Vecchio, who also directs, imbues the material with a strong sense of conviction, but while the show moves at a fast pace, the comedy does not hit home, and the fascinating (yet muddy) sexual dynamics go largely unexplored.

Hudson Theatres, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/3561 Running time: approximately 70 minutes with no intermission.