Virgins Die Horny is the story of Katie (Helen Rose Hampton,) a 38-year-old newlywed with daddy issues and two ex-husbands. The play begins with Katie and her new husband James (Romanos Kassimis) enjoying their first night together as man and wife. After a tiresome cocaine-induced debate on fear and love Katie and James are surprised by a knock on the door- Katie’s ex-husband Jimmy, (Alex Roseman) who is in the middle of a suicidal breakdown brought on by their union, barges in and takes them hostage. Half an hour later there is another knock on the door, Katie’s second ex-husband Jamie (Neil Hobbs)- an aggressive, sharp-tongued Cockney, arrives bearing more monologues and one particularly disturbing secret to be revealed at the end of the play. Katie’s night of marital bliss quickly turns into the honeymoon from hell.
Virgins Die horny is a play that explores the value of safety versus the value of unhindered ‘experience.’ The message is as the title suggests- the inexperienced (virgins) die unfulfilled (horny). That’s all well and good but the play strays from its core message more than once- derailed by long monologues about sex, loneliness, childhood, fear and any other existential topic that you would find discussed on a therapist’s sofa.
The acting here is superb, with an especially believable performance by Alex Roseman (Meal Ticket) as the weak, drug-addict ex-husband with a death wish. The writing is good yet dated and the plot is interesting but weighed down- what could have otherwise been a stimulating production is slowed by long monologues, a lack of action and 80’s style down lights (coincidentally this play was also written in the 80’s).
If you are fond of drama, existentialism and have an above average attention span then this play is for you.
Reviewed by Jacqueline Silvester
Catch it till the 16th of November at the Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton