In a compelling new production at London's Royal Court theatre, Ambika Mod delivers an exceptional performance as an academic struggling with pornography addiction in Sophia Chetin-Leuner's thought-provoking drama, Porn Play.
A Modern Addiction Explored
The play introduces us to Ani, a 30-year-old Milton scholar whose life appears successful on the surface but conceals a debilitating secret. Her compulsive pornography consumption has already destroyed her relationship with her boyfriend, mirroring similar behaviour to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag character, though Ani's situation carries deeper psychological consequences.
Unlike Fleabag's casual approach to her YouPorn habit, Ani finds herself deeply troubled by her actions, particularly when she retreats to her childhood bedroom with her laptop, much to her father's concern. The play balances humour with the wearying reality of addiction, illustrating how the search for release becomes a grim, compulsive ritual.
Between Digital and Physical Worlds
Director Josie Rourke and playwright Chetin-Leuner masterfully transition between Ani's digital and physical worlds, emphasising the seductive instant gratification of internet culture. As Bo Burnham famously noted, "anything that brain of yours can think of can be found" online, and Ani's brain has been fundamentally rewired by this accessibility.
Her relentless online searching provides constant comfort amidst professional pressures and grief following her mother's death. While she recognises these as triggers, she strategically uses a friend's sexual revelation to deflect from discussing her own problematic behaviour.
Innovative Staging and Design
Yimei Zhao's inspired design transforms the Royal Court's intimate upstairs theatre into a padded, vulva-like den that serves multiple symbolic purposes. Staged in the round - typically offering nowhere to hide - Ani cleverly conceals her laptop and belongings within the cushioned floor's folds.
The space functions both as a cocoon, softly lit by Mark Henderson during Ani's internet rituals, and as a vortex, echoing the prologue's reference to Eve contemplating her reflection in Milton's Paradise Lost. This design brilliantly visualises the play's central tensions.
Ethical Dilemmas and Performance Excellence
As a Milton scholar, Ani grapples with questions of lost innocence (reflected in the title's dual meaning of "play") and the poem's sexual politics, while also confronting the ethical challenge of separating art from artist behaviour. This debate extends to her distinction between watching violent pornography - "it's all fake" - and her real-world attitudes toward women.
The production presents pornography abstractly, highlighting how the specific content matters less than the compulsive behaviour itself, enhanced by Helen Skiera's thrumming, distorted musical score.
Will Close, Lizzy Connolly and Asif Khan demonstrate remarkable versatility, handling multiple supporting roles with sharp movement direction by Wayne McGregor. Particularly powerful is a painful scene where Ani's boyfriend holds her phone while she masturbates, showcasing the play's ambitious blending of tragedy, horror and comedy.
The narrative strands culminate in climactic speeches from Ani and her father, an ending that could feel forced but proves remarkably persuasive in this context. Chetin-Leuner establishes herself as a clear-sighted chronicler of relationships, including the most complicated one we have - with ourselves.
Porn Play continues at Royal Court theatre, London until 13 December, confirming both its writer and star Ambika Mod as formidable talents in contemporary British theatre.
