Philosophy in the Boudoir

This is definitely not your standard piece of American theater! It's by far the edgiest and fringiest show I've seen. Great ensemble and well done production. If you are at all uncomfortable with full nudity or sexual situations this may not be the show for you (or it may be the perfect show for you!). Make sure to read the description before you attend. It is one hour of theater you certainly won't forget!... full review

As their disclaimer states, this show is definitely not recommended for anyone easily offended by language, nudity, or sex. In addition to their disclaimer, the director made a pre-show announcement giving the audience permission to get up and leave at ANY point during the show, should the content become too much to handle. As someone who is comfortable with all of the aforementioned, I was excited to be one of the first Fringers to witness this critically acclaimed show. However, I left feeling uncertain of what I was supposed to take away from the performance. Granted, it takes my ear a few minutes to train to a new accent and, as everybody in the cast was speaking with a different one, I know that some of the dialogue was lost on m... full review

BEWARE SPOILERS. Alright, let's be honest.. These freaky Brazilians are going to be packing in houses on word of mouth alone. We're not just talking about nude theatre: opening images shows everyone on stage masturbating, orifices open to the audience and fingers are inserted, faces pushed into crotches, feces consumed, and a lot of anal rape. You may be thinking, "of course there's anal rape, it's the Marquis de Sade" and as a friend of mine told me after the show, the Marquis de Sade's sexuality was more about the poor using sex as a warfare against the upper class. From watching it however I wasn't sure whether or not the company share the same views as the Marquis. Is this the story about a girl who gets seduced by the libertarians... full review

This show is everything it claims to be: edgy, outrageous, challenging, upsetting, blasphemous, controversial, and sickening. But is it good? That's a tough call to make. I definitely feel comfortable saying that it was "not my thing." In a way I'm glad I saw it, because I've never seen anything like it and I'm not sure I ever will again, but I can't say that I enjoyed myself or walked away feeling like I had learned something from it. Some of the performances were wonderful, which made it unfortunate when a few others were quite a bit weaker. One of the characters definitely had an arc, but I wish more of the characters had undergone a change; if that had been the case, I think I would have felt more dramatic investment in what was ha... full review

Having read and studied the Marquis de Sade's works, I was worried that the production would focus only on the sensationalistic sex aspects and not the politically revolutionary parts of his works. Happily, this was not the case. In fact, most of the sex acts shown or referenced were the tamer parts of Sade. In this sense, the show did not shock, as Sade is meant to do. While some of Sade's political views were communicated in the play, they were disconnected from the sex or you already had to understand a great deal about how the two were connected to see the connection. Sade used libertinism and sex to make arguments about overturning social and political hierarchies and while this was represented in the show, it was not the focus. In gene... full review

OK so I am pretty sexually liberal and am familiar somewhat with the works of Marquis de Sade (even have performed in a production of Marat/Sade) so I kind of knew what I was getting into. The frontal nudity and masturbatory type stuff doesn't really bother me though this show didn't feel very serious to me, it came off as more comical. I had a hard time taking it seriously - for which I was grateful during the rapey and pedophilic scenes - but I'm not sure how much comedy was actually intended. (I went into a full-on giggle fest during a shocker stunt at the end which I won't give away.) I actually liked the bare bones set piece and the staging - using actors literally as chairs - and there are some clever lighting cues, augmented by a hand... full review

Wow. What can I say? Well, for starters I'm not sure if the show evolved from someone who said "Let's make a show about the Marquis De Sade" and then decided to have a bunch of nudity or if it was the other way around. ("Ok, team, we're gonna do a show with lots of full frontal nudity. Who's got an idea for a story that'll fit that?") The acting constantly reminded me that I was watching a play (never a good sign) and I couldn't help but think that at any moment someone was going to ACTUALLY plop one out on another person's chest. Thanks for not doing so, I guess. I wish the Fringe had a "Meh" button. I've been more sexually aroused doing taxes.... full review

The edgiest piece of theatre I've ever seen. The other attempts to bring the works of Sade to the stage I've watched fall woefully short of where this Brazilian troupe went. Bravo to the cast and crew for their daring, bold performance. Buyer beware - read the disclaimer and take heed; they're not joking. For the strong of heart (and stomach) only. ... full review

I appreciate what happened. And it definitely happened. "Not my thing" would be a good way to describe it. It's shocking, libertinesque, it's a lot of nudity. It still just wasn't my thing. Very presentational, somewhat disconnected. There are some excellent demonstrations of complete control over the human body, as well as a particularly satisfying scene presenting the "rules" of the libertine. Otherwise, I was put off by the plot. It did allow me to see my very first "shit eating grin."... full review