Plymouth Theatre Review

Easy to Follow: 5

Family Friendly: 2

Must see: 4

Title: ‘Our Secrets Safe’

Venue: The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth

Date: 6th June 2024

‘Our Secret’s Safe’ by Pilot’s Thumb Theatre, written by Beth Scott Hewlett is a striking commentary on modern-day sex work, with a particular focus on contemporary online platforms such as OnlyFans. The play delves into the themes of love, self-identity, guilt, hope and sexual agency with an honest, nuanced approach that opens up the discussion around sex work in a society where internet platforms are increasingly popular among sex workers. The play presents a multitude of characters who share their experiences of working in the online sex industry, exploring the strains this has put on their own self esteem, relationships with their loved ones and the effect their work has had on their lives. 

The characters represent a rich tapestry of emotions and personalities, from the shy and understated Holly, portrayed by Laura Fergus to the outlandish and bold character of Laura played by Louise Callaghan. From their initial introduction to their growth throughout the performance, the journey these characters take and their personal circumstances and experiences are portrayed with sensitivity, authenticity and nuance. The audience also serves as somewhat of a unnamed character, acting as the voyeuristic client behind the camera, an ever observing presence, witnessing the characters intimate moments and then as ‘group participant’s’ in the plays conclusion, creating a unique and interesting perspective and experience. Several actors stood out for their fantastic character portrayals. Beth Frigot’s performance as Kate was authentic and relatable. Her command of the physical theatre aspects is particularly noteworthy and impressive, making her characters journey a joy to watch play out on the stage. Her relationship with Stee (portrayed by Leroy Jomali Wild) was displayed with deep authenticity and believability and the chemistry between these two characters was palpable on the stage. Both actors portrayed the complexities of long term relationships with ease, portraying a deep connection to their characters emotional journey, and forcing the audience to invest in their relationship and journey. Laura Fergus’ portrayal of the shy Holly, who grapples with issues of insecurities and self esteem, demonstrated an authenticity and dedication to character that made her characters journey poignant and interesting to watch. Her powerful transformation from a position of little power to heightened strength in her own sexual agency towards the end of the piece expertly demonstrated Laura’s ability to embody a range of deep emotions, complexities and emotional shifts. Edward Gist as Jim, provided some much needed comic relief amidst the deeper themes of the show. His endearing portrayal of the loveable Jim brought balance to the heavier moments with humour and charm. Gist expertly navigated the story in a believable way, reminding me of several big hearted characters I have encountered in my own life. The writing and direction both lent itself to the mysterious and suspenseful nature of the first half the show, with the audience being kept on their toes guessing what the group environment is about and why they are all meeting. I was constantly questioning; why they were there? what is the work they are doing? until the main theme of the show became apparent as part of the narrative. This added an element suspense and mystery that carried on throughout with the character of Jen, portrayed by Cassie Williamson. Jen was coming to the group from a lived experience, and her characters reasons for being there were mostly kept out the story, until we finally realise the reason for her passion and investment into the group. While we do find out her reasoning, there was no conclusion to her personal story, in a devastating comment on just how many people do slip through the net and how many real life stories, do not have a happy or even fully concluded ending. 

The set design was basic yet effective, featuring chairs facing the audience that cushions were placed on and coat stands with various costumes and props hanging off them behind each chair, which allowed for focus to remain on the stage and action. The minimalistic set up here represented the group setting where much of the action takes place, creating an open, intimate and relatable environment. The lighting design was clever and artistic, using colour to represent past events and brighter, warm lighting to represent the present. The use of house lighting at the end was also particularly clever, shining a light onto the audience that had been mostly kept in the dark (both literally and figuratively) in the earlier parts of the play. The use of lighting here effectively propelled the audience into the show as active participants, enhancing the experience and immersion into the narrative. Music also a significant role throughout, adding emotional depth and atmosphere to the scenes. I particularly liked the music used when the characters would come out to centre stage and stare at the audience and the use the motifs created by the characters in these instances. The music here complimented the actions and highlighted key character traits and key moments of growth. These moments that each character had in centre stage, were particularly powerful, conveying the characters deepest emotions and personalities to the audience, while also highlighting the isolation that can be felt when working in the online world. The use of projections and video to convey the online presence of the ‘clients’ were particularly impactful and well delivered, especially in the case of Holly, who was subjected to rather degrading and disrespectful treatment throughout while trying navigate the complexities of her online presence with her real life relationships. It is a testament to both the acting and directing that when this character regained her power, the audience were so invested in this, that it gained claps and cheers partway through the show.

‘Our Secret’s Safe’ is a strong ensemble performance that opens up the discussions around sex work in the ever growing online world and takes the audience on an emotional journey through modern issues we face today. The sensitive and authentic portrayal of the characters combined with effective design elements and standout performances, gave the narrative of this show a verbatim theatre feel, so I was surprised to find out after the performance that the narrative was fictional in nature and not coming from lived experience of real world people in a verbatim sense.  I think this a a testament to the fantastic writing, directing and overall job the cast did of endearing the audience to the characters they were portraying in a compelling and thought provoking examination of our modern society.

Review by Ami Philpott

*Gifted / This theatre review was written following a gifted ticket to the performance. However, all opinions and views expressed in this review are entirely that of the reviewer and the review has not been influenced in any way by the provision of the ticket. Our commitment remains to provide an honest and unbiased assessment of the experience.