Sex with Strangers: A Play

by Laura Eason

When star sex blogger and memoirist Ethan, 24, tracks down his idol, the gifted but obscure 40ish novelist Olivia, he finds they each crave what the other possesses. As attraction turns to sex, and they inch closer to getting what they want, both must confront the dark side of ambition and the near impossibility of reinventing oneself when the past is only a click away. Sex with Strangers had its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; it will have its New York premiere at Second Stage Theatre in June 2014, directed by David Schwimmer.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction, Theatre

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2014

Reviews

[Kit Gladieux · Rating 3 out of 5]

am i just logging all of the plays i read during my downtime at work to catch back up my reading goal? maybe. but i read them!! so it counts!!!

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the first half of the play was terrific, the more it went on, the less likeable BOTH characters became, and the more bogged down it became in the same discussion taking place over and over and over again. Needed some pruning desperately, and something else other than the central conceit to sustain it.

[Yourfiendmrjones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as clever as the reviews I've read seemed to think it was. It was interesting but ultimately a little pedestrian.

[Cailin Doran · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 - some good monologue fodder in there. A tender age gap, and conversations around the internet that feel very dated for a play set in “the present” (first produced in 2009). With the resurgence of indie sleaze it could be an interesting remount if it was approached as more of a digital life time capsule, and a pre-me-too perspective.

[ValTheBookEater]

theo james played ethan on stage...

[Duckfacekim09 (Kim Howell) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My very first script review 💁🏼‍♀️

I saw this play a few years ago when I was in my phase of going to London every weekend and seeing multiple plays, and what attracted to me this one in the first instance was definitely Theo James 🤤

I didn't really remember the play other than that, although I know I did enjoy it, so I was really looking forward to reading this script.

Ethan and Olivia are both very complex characters with a lot of layers and it's quite shocking when you compare their relationship in the first few scenes to their relationship at the end. And the fact they managed to get there so succinctly (as the play is around 90 mins/2 hours) shows just how powerful this script is.

I still wish there had been more to it though, and when I read the ending and remembered it, I remembered how much I didn't like it in the stage version.

Also the constant use of "clothes come off. Sex is imminent" in the stage directions was rather irritating 😂

[Tom Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is totally a script that will depend upon the chemistry of the actors involved. By itself, though, didn't seem that special to me. (And fyi - it's more about writer ambitions than sex....)

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. I think there's a fair amount of shock factor going on here, from the title to Ethan's background. Interesting for a little while, but I realised pretty quickly that I wasn't interested in reading about yet another man who wants to avoid responsibility and resents someone else being more successful than he is (at, no less, things the other person has been working at for years and he's been working at for...months? weeks?). Maybe it resonates better when seen performed, but I didn't really get the 'both must confront the dark side of ambition' part claimed in the description, and while there's certainly some discussion of reinventing oneself, there's not so much of 'the near impossibility of reinventing oneself when the past is only a click away'.

[David Stitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently making costumes for a production of this play.

I was drawn in by the premise and the title but I have to admit I kind of love it. I’m excited to see it staged and come to life.

I enjoy the conversation between the characters and the juxtaposition of their lives from the beginning to end. The conversational style is brilliant and feel very natural and fuelled by the motivations.

[Romeo Channer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff in there about the complexity of desire/attraction/persona. Both characters make a lot of sense and their mismatched dynamic is compelling. I don't have any specific issues but I wasn't grabbed by it. Liked, didn't love.

[Timothy Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was at first hesitant about reading this play because of the title. While the idea is sex with strangers is prevalent within the play, this isn’t really what it is about at all.

[Chambers Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lives up to its title!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salacious title that is likely to obscure how good this play is. Ironic since guide play is, in part, about books not always being defined by their covers

[Ilyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

So want to see this play done at our theater.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this book felt so unrealistic to me, but the ending was interesting so it saved the overall rating a bit.

[Person · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved her voice and the push and pull between the characters, the shifting power dynamics.

[Sydney]

Not the worst play I’ve read, not the best.
Had some nice comedic moments and is a really good option for a f/m scene if needed for something.

[Shawn Aebi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well paced, modern look at how influencers can both empower and corrupt reputations and relationships.

[Anna Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it. 2 hander
easy to read
deep emotion, v nice

(best week to date a gohub too)

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for work

[Matt Davies-Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m performing a scene from this and really enjoyed getting to ready the entire story

[CSC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I wish I'd read this in lieu of seeing last summer's Off-Broadway production and thought "no big deal" for having missed it.

Alas, it was quite the opposite. I loved every moment of Eason's play, and am kicking myself for having missed what I'm sure was a thrilling experience of seeing Billy Magnussen and Anna Gunn play these roles.

I could totally relate to Olivia's old-fashioned, "real book" loving introvert self - as well as her swift fascination with Ethan's infuriating yet alluring self.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow I found this a more compelling read than I remember the play being. I suspect that comes from the 5 years that have passed since I saw it at Steppenwolf. It was well worth the looks I assume my fellow subway-riders made upon seeing the title.

[Kendra Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 actors - bit trite at the start
nice conclusion
high marketability for Renegade
intimacy lends itself to Teatro space
needs two very attractive actors