Leah Nanako Winkler’s Muse Speaks Out Frankly on Sex

by Robert M. Gardner

“Thirty-Six” recalls our own experiences with awkward first dates, right down to the moment a partner farts without shame. Director Michelle Talgarow unveils the script’s audacity and obscenity with skill and taste.

Despite the sexual talk, there’s no bare skin—our imaginations supply the details. The language is profane, graphic, and gross, proving that the brain is still the most powerful sex organ.

Randy Wong-Westbrooke’s futuristic set extends high up where varied, fashionable lamps hang and flicker. Down front, two ultra-modern, clear plastic desks sit at opposite ends of the stage, far from each other.

And behind them, on a high platform in a big white easy chair, sits a character called “Stage Directions” (relaxed, outspoken nic feliciano). She also faces us and speaks directly to us—a startling, dramatic staging.

At the left front table, Jenny (sardonic Lauren Andrei Garcia) appears at a cafe for her Tinder date with David (restrained Soren Santos). David sits at the other front table far away. They are bookends on the stage, almost always facing us and talking to us through their separate mics. Later, in her apartment, they get up and move around but rarely touch.

Jenny says she’s after sex only, no more. But David clearly has romantic yearnings. So, Winkler has reversed the rom-com gender roles—spreading brilliant comic confusion.

I found myself identifying with David’s uncertainty and ineptitude. Although they want the same things, they are tied down by the conflicting demands of their young, urban, professional social status. Garcia and Santos make a genius comedy team, as both characters trip over their privilege, hilariously. It’s Yuppies Gone Wild!

Above them, feliciano talks to us boldly through her head mike. She rocks the house, like a director or muse, speaking in a soothing, condescending style. She lets us in on the joke.

While feliciano makes wry, funny comments, Jenny and David clash in fierce debate and sex play. It seems they will never agree on anything. Jenny has had hard times and David yearns for a rom-com ending. How they get together will shock you—and they have lots to say about contemporary sex and romance.

Playwright Winkler inspires and titillates. We find ourselves laughing and checking the responses of fellow audience members. The couple speaks obscenely and re-enacts sex secrets, rarely revealed to strangers on a first date. Even though the set never changes, the action moves to Jenny’s apartment, where David is impressed with the luxury. The sex and debate amp up with lots of hearty laughs.

Quickly it becomes clear that Jenny just wants sex while David, disappointed with his lack of a partner, seeks a romantic mate. The anonymity of texting allows this modern generation to be raw and open.

David has been reading an article about “36 Questions that Lead to Love” and tries them on Jenny. Jenny resists but eventually agrees in hopes of getting laid. Each question takes us deeper into their lives, raising the stakes.

“Thirty-Six” constitutes the most graphic yet tame play about sex I have ever seen. Here’s a comedy that breaks new ground on sex plus privilege. Hustle over to Shotgun Players to see it!

“Thirty-Six” by Leah Nanako Winkler, directed by Michelle Talgarow, scenic design by Randy Wong-Westbrooke, costumes by Madeline Berger, lighting by Spense Matugang, sound by Alex Fakayode, props by Vincent Khiet Chau, at Shotgun Players, Berkeley.

Info: shotgunplayers.org – to December 22, 2024.

Cast: nic feliciano, Lauren Andrei Garcia, and Soren Santos.

Banner photo: Lauren Andrei Garcia, nic feliciano, Soren Santos. Photos: Ben Krantz Studio