Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, Conor Ó’Cuinn’s powerful play looks at gay hook-up culture and online apps from the perspective of Looking4fun, a “twink” who seeks his fun through anonymous encounters which end in Uber trips, alone.
Armed with PrEP and poppers, he seeks attention and emotionless sexual encounters through apps such as #Grindr, but his initial attitude of ‘it’s all fine’ unravels as he details each encounter, with each becoming slightly more disturbing.
With just a chair, a couple of lights, and a mobile phone, Conor Ó’Cuinn (who writes and performs) leads us into Looking4fun’s world of sex clinics, flirty texts, seedy flats, and disappointing mornings.
There’s even a moment where he slips into the fantasy of fancying his Scots, football-following barber, finding his Christmas shenanigans “sexy”.
Looking For Fun? does not shy from making its point in graphic terms, arguing that hookups belittle the humanity of emotional contact.
When one casual partner makes breakfast, Looking4fun sees him as a “keeper” but is later blindsided to find himself blocked on Grindr. He also details non-consensual sexual encounters as part of the “game”.
At just under an hour, this show keeps your interest throughout. It made me think of the particular issues gay men have faced since the anonymous days of cottaging and saunas, of what Ó’Cuinn terms “gay shame”. Looking For Fun? touches on acceptance and risk.
This is a strong and skillful show which deserves to be seen and discussed more widely. A tightly written and performed monologue which faces the reality of the lonely young man seeking a connection, beautifully directed by Tazy Harrison-Moore.
You can catch Looking For Fun? all this week at the King’s Head at 9pm – book your tickets here. It is produced by Pretenders Productions and you can find out more about the show on their Twitter account.
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Image credit: Marie Rim