My Brother And I Are Porn Stars review - SkinnyFest 2

The play's major successes crop up when combining gruesome surrealist imagery with off-beat humour...

Article by Frank Lazarski | 14 Aug 2006
There are images that linger in the mind, snapshots of existence that one will inevitably take to the grave. The serpentine wriggling of a 36-inch phallus, voiced by Boy Scout pioneer Robert Baden-Powell during an on-stage rape hearing is, possibly, the most audacious moment of My Brother And I Are Porn Stars, and one of those images.

From the depraved creative force of Jackie Van Beek and Jonathan Brugh comes ...Porn Stars, a surreal romantic jaunt involving siblings, Christian groups and massive, massive penises. The tale concerns Jon and Jackie, the inseparable children of some renowned porno luminaries who, in a bid to raise some cash, make a blasphemous sex film in their sitting room.

Beek and Brugh's script is exceedingly good. Immediately noticeable are the intricacies of dialogue, the linguistic quirks which serve only to flummox and delight. The two lead roles are enchanting in their naivete - Van Beek is perfectly fragile whilst Brugh is endearing as a meek but Machiavellian little man. The play's major successes crop up when combining gruesome surrealist imagery with offbeat humour: ...Porn Stars takes you out of your comfort zone and plants you in an all-new world of repulsion, shock, and giddy gratification.

My Brother And I Are Porn Stars, Gilded Balloon Teviot, until August 28 (not 14, 21), 21:00, £9.50/£8.50 (£8.50/£7.50).