---

Underbelly Bristo Square
Aug 15-28 (14.25)

Mirabile Visu

---

Lane Kwederis has brought a piece of performance art cum comedy which is unique, insightful, provocative, topically political and outstandingly performed and produced to her inaugural Edinburgh Fringe. I’m sure it wont be her last.

A quick run down of the highlights of ‘Sex Job’ includes: Performer shows their queasily hilarious internet ‘kink’ porn – check; Tricks audience member into becoming sex worker – check; Skewers legislative and government hypocrisy – check; Obscene song and dance numbers which are both well performed and funny – check, Septuagenarian audience members making double entendres as they leave at the end – check. This is a show which pretty much has it all, and it’s 5 star rating is easily justified on the basis of the above facts alone.

From the moment Kwederis takes the stage, the audience are tittering away already, they clearly know what they want from this show as the introductory song and dance routine gives hints of the themes to come. Foot fetishes, ‘eating ass’ and MONEYMONEYMONEY. This is x-rated physical theatre doubling as a satire on consumerist/capitalist ideology, and over the course of the hour the two themes are finely balanced. Lane specialises in ‘Findom’, a kink in which women financially dominate men for their sexual gratification. To her credit Kwederis paints her customers in a considerate and inclusive light, and for our educational benefit we are lead through a ‘class’ in which she elucidates on some of the more curious kinks she’s been asked to indulge her customers in, including ‘SPH’ (Small penis humiliation) ‘CFNM’ (Clothed female, naked male), and a disturbing variety of urine based ‘get offs’. To think I once considered that I was broad minded.

The recurring themes of money, power and control, and what those who have all of the above require to keep themselves ‘satisfied’, neatly intertwine throughout all sections of the show. The audience participation sections convey all of this topical theory into well realised and illuminating social experiments, which, as with every other section of the show including several song and dance numbers, mini-game shows, and the above mentioned ‘kink-education class’.

Lane has a background, and degree, in theatre & improv, and this shows in the manner which she grips the audience from the beginning of the the show and has us all on tenterhooks as she describes the pitfalls of working within a sector which is more vulnerable to abuse from politicians and multi-national corporations than it is from the ‘punters’ themselves. Voice clips, video clips and sound effects are all utilised in a manner which adds to the show, rather than distract.

I hadn’t known quite what to expect when Sex Job popped up on my review list. I certainly didn’t anticipate that it would shoot straight into my top 5 must see shows of the year. Catch her while she’s still relatively unknown, with charm, talent, pinpoint comedic timing and top level audience work Lane Kederis may not be working her ‘Sex Job’ for much longer.

Ewan Law