Issy Cory
After a drunken return from their friend Jen’s wedding, exes Kev and Meg fall into a sloppy one-night stand. When Meg finds out that filmmaker Kev’s camera was rolling the whole time, an opportunity presents itself to make some steamy cash.
As their OF fanbase grows, and the money starts streaming in, Kev and Meg find themselves in deep water, in terms of their new pornstar reputation, and their complicated relationship. Issues of race and fidelity pollute their so-called success, entangling the pair in a lustful mess.
Our two main performers, Natasha Cowley and Michael Workéyè, make a massively believable almost-couple. Their chemistry is palpable, and as an audience we can see why they push each others’ buttons. With Cowley as the headstrong Meg, and Workéyè as cocky Kev, they work together to create an authentic pairing.
Alongside the performances runs frequently authentic dialogue. Meg is wonderfully relatable, and Cowley’s naturally comedic presence gives Meg lots of likeability. In the arguments, the dialogue also succeeds, despite occasionally falling into the cliché. There are poetic moments, too, like when Meg tells Kev that he ‘unlocks’ her body – stunning.
The discussion of race in general, and how it affects Kev and Meg’s relationship, is nicely nuanced. Meg’s comment that Kev should know more about ‘his people’ has a sniff of the white saviour complex, and confronts this uncomfortable topic head on.
I only wish this same nuance could have been used in the discussion around pornography, and Meg’s body image specifically. There are a handful too many comments about how much she wishes to be skinny, or to lose weight. In a show spotlighting the porn industry, where the pressures on women (and everyone else) to look a certain way are so extreme, this constant criticism feels unnecessary.
There were a few moments in the direction that were questionable. The transition out of the scene with the foreign OF couple (whose accents are sub-par at best) is clunky, with much of it happening in the dark. A couple of other amateurish sequences made me think this was a production much better suited to film, given that a lot of the action was played insularly.
The playlist, on the other hand, was super fun, and meant that plenty of the transitions had a real punchy atmosphere. Paldem certainly has legs, and has an ambition at its core that is not to be overlooked.
Recommended Drink: Tequila, to loosen you up.
You can catch Paldem at TechCube 0 at Summerhall from Aug 18, 20-25 at 21:00. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
