Hannah Reilly, writer and star of the Edinburgh Fringe breakout play Roleplay, describes the festival experience as “an out-of-body experience.” She noted the surreal nature of seeing billboards of herself, mirroring a moment in the play where her character encounters a sexy billboard of her own image.
A Play About a 'Slutfluencer'
Reilly's play follows a struggling podcaster who reinvents herself as an OnlyFans-style “slutfluencer,” exploring “the line between sexual liberation and self-abandonment.” The production is being compared to Fleabag, with that show's producer Francesca Moody joining early. After selling out in Edinburgh, it opens this month at the Soho Theatre in London.
Reilly grew up between Sydney and a farm in semi-rural Australia. Her father was a comedy writer and her mother “a showgirl performer,” making her “a split atom of them both.” She began in radio before becoming a comedy writer and performer. Roleplay is her first play and draws from direct experience, including hosting “a sex and relationships podcast in my early twenties, in my most chaotic era.” The play started as a sitcom before becoming a stand-up show, then evolved into a darker, more realistic piece.
The Story and Its Consequences
In the play, Reilly's character Danni is broke and lured into joining a new streaming platform. The promise: if she gains 100,000 new followers and becomes “this messy, unignorable voice for young women,” she will be offered a life-changing deal. Despite being “a vanilla, monogamous, romantic dork,” she takes the bait and builds a powerful new sexual persona. As she pursues content, she exploits people close to her and loses sight of who she is, leading to “some bad consequences.”
Reilly says the themes resonate with “the experience of being a young woman now, constantly navigating the power and powerlessness.” She has found it interesting “to give people an uncomfortable experience rather than just make them laugh.”
On the 'Next Fleabag' Label
When asked if it could be the next Fleabag, Reilly joked that there should be “hefty fines for anyone who uses the phrase, 'the next Fleabag'.” She even suggested a combined headline: “Is this Raygun wannabe the next Fleabag?”
On the possibility of a Netflix deal, Reilly said she would “totally love it to be a TV series. But right now I’m just focusing on making a great play.” Roleplay runs at Soho Theatre until November 21.
