Rosie Wilby: The Science of Sex - fringe 2009
Live Review

Amiable Rosie Wilby is on a mission to educate us on the science of sex. Recently dumped by her girlfriend, she is on a quest to discover what makes us tick and why.

This is an assured performance and a beautifully polished and well-rehearsed show, but the laugh rate just isn’t quite up to the standard of her delivery. Although there are a couple of real knicker twisters some of the sections feel flaccid.

It is rare that I would endorse a heckler but in this performance the stereotypically stupid young man who decided that he could try and ‘turn’ Wilby straight did at least let her prove her talent in crowd control, which was a thing of real beauty.

Wilby takes us on a voyage through the varying sexual practices, stopping off to point out the vast differences in appetite between men and women, straight and gay. Some of the journey is incredibly scientific and hugely interesting and Wilby is so convincing that even when she deviates from the research and wanders into the obviously comedic, there is still a part of my brain that is convinced she is telling me the truth when she states there is added chocolate and shoes in the female version of a herbal Viagra.

Again she has me rapt when explaining why women sync up in a certain way, it is not until the tale gets so ridiculous it involves a Cavewoman named Maybelline that I realise that we have slipped of the strictly scientific route again.

She has a good eye for detail and when she does eventually find the funny she can really nail it. Sadly the groaners outweigh the screamers for the most part but despite the lack of consistently funny jokes there is consistently good delivery and the show is entertaining. Wilby will definitely be one to watch in the future.