Spawn and Die

Sometimes we treat the laws of sexuality as if they were written by Derrida. Instead of obeying primal instincts that might lead us to the kind of blissful state that would render conflict redundant, we obey a repressed, materialistic, competitive mind, conditioned by a malformed and inorganic society.

Such is the case furnished by the rambunctious and witty Susan McIntosh in her one woman show, and pretty convincing it is too. Presenting herself as a hip university lecturer, her thesis, worked through with the aid of slides, songs and raucous, explicit one-liners, sounds pretty convincing. Running through the animal kingdom, she brings us accounts of gay penguins, lesbian flamingos, and a whole host of bisexual animals. Indeed, as she compares humans to the polymorphous happy shoppers of the non-human world she finds us wanting on every occasion. Diverting into her character’s personal reminiscences, we also find that two partners are invariably better than one – we are, she guilefully assures us, simply the wrong kind of monkey. The great sexual revolutionary of our time, or just a dirty, dirty girl? Go and find out. (Steve Cramer)

Underbelly’s Baby Belly, 0870 745 3083, until 27 Aug, 9.30pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50).