Porn Play | Royal Court

Porn Play by Sophia Chetin-Leuner is the Royal Court's newest theatrical trial in their upstairs venue. A raw, confronting piece that doesn't invite you to feel too comfortable with what you are watching at any point. Following Ani's life balancing a hardcore porn addiction with her grief, relationships and career, Porn Play examines the hypersexualised digital world we live in. What it does brilliantly is draw you deep into a world where intimacy and exploitation collide, Ani's dream world and comfort feels less like fantasy and more like a trap.

At the heart of this piece is Ambika Mod, who has a compelling manner of giving the audience everything and nothing at the very same time. Mod is spellbinding as Ani, the way she unravels in real time, successfully playing a character that the audience doesn’t want to support yet still comes on board with and empathises with. Her breakdown feels devastating but also achingly real. A true lingering force and reality throughout the entire piece.

The star power comes in through supporting performer Lizzy Connolly, who brings the spark and electricity. Her multi-rolling is sharp, funny and versatile, shiting between seductive movement and challenging caricatures who all feel the knock on impact of Anis addiction; she’s an overarching force and you feel her pull. Her movement, the way she shifts between roles gives the whole piece its kinetic energy. A truly standout performance in the piece, which is complimented by the strong and dynamic multi rolling from the other supporting performers Will Close and Asif Khan.

Yomei Zhao’s design is the true scene stealer, however. The comfortable and practical set created feels like a private sanctuary inside Ani’s mind. It’s warm and intimate, but also slightly off-kilter, with this juxtaposition making the darker moments hit harder, because you’ve already been let in. This intimacy and comfort makes the overall piece even more offensive to the audience's emotions.

Chetin-Leuner’s script is daring and unafraid. The opening and closing are beautifully rooted in discomfort, she doesn’t shy away from weaponising awkwardness. The middle, though, does lose a little momentum. It settles in a way that feels almost too orderly, as though it’s waiting to pounce. But once things destabilise again, and the weight of what’s at stake returns, the impact really returns and brings the play back to its successful awkward nature. There’s no neat resolution, no comforting wrap-up which feels conclusive and powerful.

Helen Sikera’s sound design aligns powerfully with Josie Rourke’s direction and Sir Wayne McGregor’s movement. Everything feels interconnected within the piece's sound, physicality and staging. Building an immersive, sensory, and sometimes unsettling world. And engulfing the audience in this boundary breaking topic.

Yes, the pacing dips now and then. But despite that, Porn Play is a smart, emotionally raw piece of theatre. It asks difficult questions about power, desire, consent, and the digital age. It’s visually bold, thematically rich, and powered by performances that refuse to be ignored.

Porn Play plays a sold out run at the Royal Court until 13th December.

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★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Helen Murray