4 stars
Sex is a fundamental part of life. We’re all a product of it, after all. Why, then, is it so often shrouded in meaningless clichés, inherent shame, or the kind of bravado that erases all traces of our need for connection through intimacy?
In Rude Awakening Sex Shame Liberation, Amber Topaz takes us on an anecdotal romp that interweaves cabaret with comedy, and the sex education that we’ve been sorely missing.
Image courtesy of Veronika Marx
Performing an alluring, liberating, and entirely anti-shame solo show is no small task. Topaz, however, seems completely at home as she talks orgasms, biology, and desire.
With a capacity for physical comedy that's as glorious as her exquisite singing voice, this performer is a formidable presence on stage.
As she moves from sexy anecdotes to riotous renditions of popular songs against the backdrop of reproduction, masturbation, and self-acceptance, Topaz creates an atmosphere that's both thrilling and reassuring.
This is a show that aims to inform, entertain, and include the audience. From therapeutic shaking to Q&A via the ‘Womb of Truth’, we have the opportunity to trust Topaz on a more personal level than we’re used to in the setting of a live performance. It's a remarkable experience that’s utterly refreshing, and meaningful beyond compare.
Singing about the way others perceive us, encouraging self-acceptance, and slowly stripping away her makeup before the crowd, Topaz illustrates how vulnerable we all are.
In a truly beautiful finale to the show, we move beyond societal expectations and reground in the fundamental beginning of it all: connection.
It’s quite likely that this show will attract people for the overt reasons that we’re accustomed to seeing coupled with representations of sex, but it gives us so much more than an hour of lascivious narratives.
Rude Awakening Sex Shame Liberation, in all its titillating splendour, is sure to have you laughing while awestruck by Topaz’s sincere and charismatic performance.
JASMIN SEABROOK-BENSON