Review: (Toronto) Sperm Wars (Fringe)

Happy Raunch
by Max Gorokhovski
@MaxGorokhovski

Sperm Wars is a play about, well, copulation by Jeff and James Leard. Upon entering the theatre I was cautious about my expectations. The title tells you exactly what to expect, but when I learned it was a one man show I was leery, as one man shows are a very iffy proposition. Luckily my cautious optimism paid off in spades.  The show is an absolute delight for anyone who finds joy in a raunchy good time.

Jeff Leard does an outstanding job on stage, alone for one hour.  Full of charisma and energy, he delights the audience with every juvenile line he spouts. He twists and bends too perform the most gratuitous of acts and drew excited squeals of disgusted amusement from the audience. Particularly decadent are his performances as the eggs, a cult of women's eggs who worship the fallopian tubes as gods. They may be cliché but they are commanding, distinct and flavourful enough that it all seems fresh. The sperm side does not quite fare as well, as the characters tend to blend together at times. That being said Leard keeps things fresh by constantly assaulting your decency and good taste with all sorts of vulgarity.

Now some people might be put off by the extensive vulgarity and what could rightly be seen as a play put on for the sake of crude frivolity, these people could not be more wrong. So many shows at the festival are narcissistic and self-indulgent. They fall into the trap of believing that they deserve to be seen. Sperm Wars is all about letting loose and enjoying your time. The Leards concern is not about, whether the audience got it. Rather they care about whether the audience had as much fun as they did.

If you are a fan of South Park, The Aristocrats joke,  indecency or juvenile fun then you are in for a treat.

July 2 - 13