Review: Temi Wilkey: Lover Girl (Soho Theatre)
Review by Holly-Lily
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Following an incredibly successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Temi Wilkey: Lover Girl is a playful, high-energy and raunchy comedy that explores being queer, modern dating, and how those two intersect. Wilkey describes herself as a ‘lover girl’, and yet begrudgingly still finds herself single. Temi Wilkey: Lover Girl is an unfiltered exploration of dating, lust and selfhood through the lens of a bisexual Black woman, while also encouraging social change. Despite keeping the audience laughing out loud for most of its 60-minute runtime, the play still delivers a clear, valuable message about the importance of self-worth and finding love for yourself before trying to love anyone else.
The pre-show pop music perfectly sets the tone for the upbeat and energetic hour that is about to commence. The set is dressed in red with a draped backdrop and chaise longue. Wilkey sings as she takes to the stage, flirting with the audience. Temi might be speaking about the G-spot, but she certainly turns the stage into the T-spot, instantly dominating the space. She's flirty and fun, asking the audience direct questions and encouraging us to invest from the very beginning. After asking who in the audience fancies her (the majority, of course, do), she quickly introduces us to her "infinity pussy” which cleverly represents her inner monologue, stating the things that Temi herself might be afraid to talk about and admit. Suction-like sounds play as the audience journeys inside her “infinity pussy”. Wilkey visually represents this by spinning around frantically on stage, dressing herself in a red robe, and charmingly lying down on the chaise longue. It's very quickly and clearly established that we are now in a completely different state from before, and the dim, seductive lighting helps with this distinction. Wilkey doesn’t just jump between playing herself and her “pussy”, but she also hilariously embodies different people she has dated, introducing multiple accents and guises. Towards the end, she plays the role of her own heart. Wilkey skilfully breaks up the comedy with this heartbreaking and yet promising moment, which feels like a breakthrough for Temi and her journey of self-love.
Temi Wilkey: Lover Girl feels like a full theatrical experience. It moves from stand-up comedy to Wilkey singing and dancing enthusiastically, then suddenly to her thrusting her hips and re-enacting a passionate sexual experience. It is wild and extravagant and perfectly sums up how we often distract ourselves with comedy so as not to deal with the reality of what we are truly going through. Despite having the potential to be overcomplicated structurally, Ragevan Vasan has done a wonderful job of directing. It is snappy, slick and keeps the audience on their toes the entire time. Although some transitions felt a little messier than others, the energy and pace never dwindled.
Wilkey is electric. She commands the stage and balances the scripted dialogue with improvisation perfectly. Despite the script being over the top and intentionally self-indulgent, Wilkey’s performance finds a middle ground between being vibrant and exaggerated and being subtle and raw. This performance is a great example of when a performer and director have clearly worked brilliantly together to form something incredibly cohesive. The marriage between Wilkey’s varied and zestful performance and Vasan’s fast-paced and lively direction leads to a play that has its audience entirely in the palm of its hand.
Wilkey’s writing is unbelievably clever, moving seamlessly between singing, dancing and dialogue. The comedy is ingenious and has the audience genuinely laughing out loud for the majority of the show. After so much comedy, the more vulnerable moment at the end was particularly poignant. It would have been even more fulfilling if Wilkey had sat longer in this place, connecting with us more deeply on an emotional level before jumping back into humour. Having said that, with a limited 60-minute runtime, this may not have been entirely possible. Regardless, Wilkey has done a great job of packing her play with as much variation as possible, which is incredibly impressive.
The play champions sexual empowerment and encourages social change by viewing the audience less as spectators and more as members of a community. There is a real sense of togetherness at the end of the play, which is exciting and inspiring. Temi Wilkey: Lover Girl is candid and bold, and at a time when uniting as a society couldn’t be more important, this play is exactly the sort of edutainment we need.
Temi Wilkey: Lover Girl plays at Soho Theatre until 21 November. Tickets from: https://sohotheatre.com/events/temi-wilkey-lover-girl/#performances
Photos by Jonny Ruff.