Losing It is a one-woman show about sexual anxiety and romantic relationships. But it goes deeper and through the brilliant script and performance of Megan Bennetts this thought-provoking tragicomedy will have you laughing, commiserating and hopeful for a happy ending.
On the verge of turning 30, Emma (played by Bennetts) is determined to lose it - her virginity - and willing to wait for her very late Tinder date, to ensure that happens.
Losing It was the winner of the inaugural Katie Lees Fellowship (2022). Bennetts explains she came to the Fellowship with an idea that had been brewing in her head and a personal story she thought might resonate with other women in particular. Within five months her one paragraph pitch was a fully-fledged show.
Bennetts cleverly takes a topic filled with angst, anxiety and self-imposed deadlines and breaks the seriousness with humour. Acting the role of Emma, she doesn’t hold back, conquering a range of accents and even exposing herself (audibly) in an orgasm scene.
The character Emma is raw and unfiltered, sharing her dating stories and revealing the reality of her sexual situations. Through her embarrassing, cringe-worthy tales of dating woes, the audience builds empathy for this intelligent complex woman who has found herself in a situation she never intended.
And what message does Bennetts want the audience to leave with? “I think I'd like to make them feel less alone. Whatever their "it" is, whatever makes them feel like they're the biggest freak in the world, chances are that heaps of people feel exactly the same way. We're all bumbling through this world on our own timelines - don't stress. It'll all work out in the end.”
This is a play that everyone can relate to, whether it’s the intimacy of the first time, frustration of sexual encounters or the hope put into each date with someone new. Losing It is a deep-dive into Emma's mind, the paranoia and desperation she feels, and we’ve all felt in relationships at some point. It’s highly relatable and beautifully heartfelt.
Losing It is playing now at Marrickville’s Flight Path Theatre until 18 November.
flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/losing-it
Photo by Robert Catto