Fuck You Pay Me - An important message communicated in a unique albeit confusing way.

It is undeniable that our current society carries a massive stigma when it comes to sex work. I know I have been guilty of this myself, as I think the vast majority of people have. There is a narrative that sex workers are trapped in their profession, held against their will, that their jobs aren't "real jobs", the list is endless. Fuck You Pay Me takes this perception of how society tends to view this industry and aims to completely turn it on its head, and educate you in the process.

The play tells the story of a sex worker who is trying to come to terms with telling her mother about her profession, whilst also dealing with the daily trials that sex workers are forced to endure - including difficult customers, trying to earn tips and the favouritism of co-workers. The story is told through two characters; the sex worker (played by Joana Nastari) and her mobile phone (played by Charlotte Bickley).

The performances given by both actors were wonderful. Their chemistry and comedic timing throughout was incredibly entertaining and it was clear that they entirely made the performance. However, their wonderful deliveries couldn’t shield the fact that this play is structured rather bizarrely.

The structure of the production confused me quite a lot. When the show started initially, it appeared as though it was going to be a series of short talks given by lots of different sex workers. There was no indication that the people talking were actually separate from the play itself and it took a few minutes for me to register what was going on.

I think if this had been made a little clearer from the offset, I would’ve been able to take everything in a bit more. I found I was more distracted by trying to work out what was going on than actually registering what was being discussed properly.

Likewise, when the show formally began, I wasn’t sure if it was simply another person speaking. Although they clearly had an order of events, this was never shared with the audience which was rather frustrating. Despite this, I was still able to enjoy the content immensely and learnt a lot from the stories that the guests and the play provided.

The set design was the aspect of this production that I really struggled with. The holographic platforms and pink feather boa wall was quite a distracting background to have throughout the whole show. Whilst I understand that they were creating a version of a club scene, the setting didn’t seem to match the stories these women were sharing. They were being very candid about how sex work has affected their lives, surrounded by fluffy pink feathers. It was a small factor that really broke up the show for me personally - however I can appreciate that a lot of people might not be affected so extremely by something so small.

Despite these elements, the core of this show is a wonderful and important message. I found it so empowering that workers in this industry who had previously been silenced are now being given a platform to end the stigma against their careers. I think my knowledge of this industry has been completely altered thanks to this show.

Overall, Fuck You Pay Me is important. It taps into a topic which isn’t being discussed nearly enough. I think it just requires a little more clarity and structure in order to make it a more succinct viewing experience.

5 Star Rating - *** 3 Stars

To See or Not To See - To See

Images provided courtesy of Maurizio Martorana..