In the standard farce, explains Timothy Hutton, “people who are not supposed to be having sex are – and they’re doing everything to hide it”. Terry Johnson’s new play, The Sex Party, is an “incredible reverse” says the actor, who is making his London stage debut in the production, directed by Johnson. The characters “have come to a place where they would like to be having sex and, as events move on, they are doing everything they can not to have sex”.
Hutton read the play, which takes place in the kitchen of a north London townhouse, “and liked it immediately” he tells me on a lunch break during rehearsals at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He plays Jeff, a shady American businessman who, in Hutton’s words, “when asked what his occupation is says ‘import/export’. He has a Russian wife, and they are very experienced at this sort of thing.” What sort of thing? “Sex parties,” he says. “He is committed to a lifestyle that is very specific.” Is he a bit sleazy? “I’m not going to put a judgment on someone but I have definitely met Jeffs in my life,” he replies.
