Theatre review: Love and Sex and All Things In-Between, theSpace on the Mile, Edinburgh

Somehow managing to be both sexually explicit and charming, this fun and provocative little show brings together real-life relationship stories with cheesy chat-up lines, seemingly endless innuendo and the general feeling of a lively young and young-at-heart company having a laugh on stage.

Love and Sex and All Things In-Between, theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)

Love and Sex and All Things In-Between, theSpace on the Mile * * *

Juxtapositions of heartfelt moments and poems with silly sketches, songs and amusing lists of sex acts create a rapidly changing tone that the performers could, at times, do more to make consistent. However, Joanne Denson Stockdale and the yt2 theatre ensemble's deceptively sophisticated script enables a family drama, exploring the love lives of two teenagers and their refreshingly open mother, to eventually emerge from the imaginative collage of theatrical styles.

Sexual banter, delivered as easily as the smiles and sniggers that frequently follow it, is contrasted with the difficulty the characters have talking more genuinely about how they feel elsewhere. It's a potent mix that enables the company to spend a large part of an hour celebrating 'love and relationships and all things in-between' in a way that feels honest, rather than sickly, and effectively brings these big topics together through an eclectic approach that is surprisingly well-suited to demonstrating where the connections lie.

SALLY STOTT

Until 24 August

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