Lyall Brooks, Nicole Melloy and Fem Belling in Sexercise the Musical. Image supplied.
In the first act of Sexercise the Musical we meet Joe (Lyall Brooks) and Sam (Nicole Melloy), a healthy young couple who work out constantly, but who have an non-existent sex life, for the same reasons that we all have in our daily routine: home, work, friends, keeping fit and (in the case of Sam and Joe) kids.
Sam does yoga with Tania (Lulu McClatchy) who wows us with “The One Who Believed in The One”, an outstanding song which is beautifully performed. After that, Sam goes back home and starts arguing with Joe, as they always do. Joe leaves the room and she laments that she “Don’t Need I’m Sorry”; a song that makes us reflect about all the times we have been hurt in our relationships and don’t want to hear the word ‘sorry’ any more – perhaps because sorry is a reminder of the endless occasions we have forgiven him or her.
Rhonda (Fem Belling) is Sam and Joe’s couples counsellor and she secretly is chasing “Computer Dating Man”. In the session Sam and Joe perform a fantastic song “Are We Done Yet”, with sharp humour, great acting and strong vocals. The song describes how exhausting and monotonous having sex for them is. Then voilà, Rhonda gives them the solution: “Sexercise”, a book that proposes sex as workout, with each intimate encounter design to but a detailed number of calories. For example, if one allows the dialogue during sex to reflect any pent-up emotion, it will burn 454 calories but 455 calories if one adds violent food shaking during climax!
The build-up of emotion during the first act is undeniable and you may end up buying the book Sexercise during the interval (as I did!). I recommend having a look at page 66, where one can learn how to performs sexercises at ‘The Oscar’ level!
The second act is perhaps not as riveting as the first. The songs and storyline are concentrated on support characters such as Rhonda, who starts a relationship with Shane (Kristin Holland) – Joe’s friend; or Andy (Cameron MacDonald) who has been trapped in a unhappy marriage for years. That said, the song “Want What I Got” by Lulu McClatchy was absolutely hilarious and wonderfully performed.
While performances are solid, it’s fair to say that some of the cast are more impressive than others; but in general Aleksandar Vass and Malcolm C. Cooke have produced a great musical that will keep audiences glued to their seats until the end.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5​
Sexercise the Musical
Writer and Composer: Derek Rowe
Directed by: Sara Grenfell
Head Designer: Adrienne Chisholm
Musical Director: Trevor Jones
Choreography: Dana Jolly
Producers: Alexksander Vass and Malcolm C. Cooke
Executive Producer: Kate Whitbread
Alex Theatre, St Kilda
19 February – 29 March
