Capital Fringe Review: ‘Married Sex’ by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

The combination of sharing one’s vulnerability into insightful personal storytelling is not only an art.  It’s a gift.

Married Sex is an engaging one-woman show based on a true tale, written and performed by award-winning solo performer Laura Zam, and directed by Shirley Serotsky that is currently playing at the Fort Fringe Bedroom as a part of The Capital Fringe Festival.

This is a moving confessional memoir where Zam plays 28 different characters struggling with sex, and gracefully lets the audience know that part is fact and (a very small part) is fiction. No matter, one can think of what transpires as an absorbing evening of health education for adults. The feelings, situations, and concerns addressed are as much about having an honest exchange about sexuality as it is about sex.

The enthusiasm and energy of this show are impressive. So get ready. This is an unexpected ride into comedy! Yes, comedy. Laura Zam has the talent to make a comedy monologue  about difficult subject matters and to look at these problems in a new way. The ability to share painful personal stories with hilarity and pathos for entertainment value, while reaching out to help others, is a unique quality that Zam possesses and most people aren’t able to do without coming across as calculating or trivial.

The show begins abruptly with Laura Zam bursting onto the stage exclaiming “I’m Married!”

What follows is a rendezvous of sexual dysfunctions as she unearths problems . . . discovered on her honeymoon. Married Sex is her quest to find a solution and resolve her issues through a journey filled with cynical and kooky sex therapists, an insane hypnotist, a jet-setting Tantric mistress, and a horny rabbi.

For many people, sex is a confusing, difficult subject to discuss.

This production attempts to normalize discussions around sexual healing and sexual health in general. Raising awareness not only about the “challenges” of married sex, the play also devotes a great deal to the life long effects of dealing with the trauma of Zam’s sexual abuse at the age of four. The passion in the storytelling is certainly there,  but if I’m totally honest, in the midst of creating 28 characters, I never completely felt Laura Zam was totally present as Laura Zam in her moments. Her acting is skilled for sure (perhaps it was opening night jitters) but for me Zam still came across in her portrayal as another “character” speaking in first person. But don’t get me wrong, this story still comes across as authentic and the information is invaluable.

Married Sex was commissioned by Theater J for their Locally Grown Festival and this play was a semifinalist for the 2013 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.  This show  is already in full swing with upcoming engagements and  is slated for New York Fringe in August.

And, to give people an opportunity to engage beyond the play, Laura Zam is hosting, along with a psychologist who specializes in sex, a Sex Brunch at Petits Plat restaurant on July 28, 2013.

The ‘Married Sex’ program comes with:
Laura Zam’s Married (and Un- Married) Sex tips.

1. Dance with your honey every morning for 5 minutes: Dirty Dancing is encouraged.

2. Text regularly, even if it means upgrading your (already) pricey data plan.

3. Don’t criticize your honey. But if you must, follow immediately with something oral. A happy relationship depends on your ability to swallow your words.

I’ve only shared three of the many tips Laura Zam offers in Married Sex. If you want more you’ll have to see the show.  Or, as one the taglines for the show states –

WANT RELATIONSHIP TIPS? COME! 

Running Time: 75 minutes.

Recommended for adults only.
This show contains profanity.
Link: https://marriedsexshowbrunch.eventbrite.com/

Married Sex plays through July 20, 2013 at Fort Fringe Bedroom – 612 L Street NW, in Washington, DC. For performance times and to purchase tickets, visit the show’s Capital Fringe page.