The core concept of Ellen Denny’s play Pleasureville, on stage at Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Studio now through October 20th, 2019, is a familiar one: a young urban woman finds herself inheriting a home in a rural town, she opens up a new business there, and both she and the town experience a shift in perspective for her having moved there. What is so impressive about Pleasureville is how many genuine surprises and subversions of expectations Denny manages to find within this familiar framework, which makes this play funny, unexpected, thoughtful, and immediate.
Leah, played by Julia Topple, moves to the small Canadian town of Pleasureville suddenly, to escape the housing crisis in the city and an ex boyfriend she isn’t quite over yet, and finds herself in need of work. At the suggestion of her best friend, Ash (Breton Lalama), she decides to open the town’s only sex shop. The problem is that she doesn’t know how to connect with the community in order to attract any customers. Rose (Sherry Smith), an older woman who has lived in the town all her life, decides to go out on a limb and to help Leah’s business survive, whether Leah wants her guidance or not.
Much of the play’s comedy comes from Sherry Smith’s hilarious portrayal of Rose, a well-intentioned, pragmatic, and curious woman who is continually navigating her way around the sex shop’s inventory in creative, surprising, and entertaining ways. She has a lot of patience with Leah, who is continually realizing that the world is more nuanced and complex than she had initially assumed. Topple does a great job of oscillating between a warm, exuberant young adult and a petulant teenager, painting a portrait of a young woman who often cannot see her own immaturity and short-sightedness. Leah’s best friend, Ash, is non-binary, and thus wary of the prejudice and ignorance they might encounter in a small town like Pleasureville. Regardless, when Leah organizes a march that gets national exposure for her store Ash comes to show their support and their pride. Breton Lalama plays Ash with definite panache. It’s immediately clear why Leah loves Ash. Ash is honest and direct about their ideas and emotions. Ash seems more excited by Leah’s success than they are by their own. Ash is witty and silly and fun.
One of the biggest themes that Denny explores in this work is the concept of allyship, and what happens when one’s commitment to the work involved grows, diminishes, or softens depending on its context. This culminates with a scene in which Topple and Smith are onstage, commanding attention, and Lalama is not onstage; yet, if we choose to focus on Ash instead of Rose and Leah, it becomes apparent that this is a devastating moment for Ash. It’s a powerful moment for director Annie Valentina to leave to the discretion of the audience, whether or not they want to watch what has been placed in front of them, or what has been deliberately left out.
There are lots of twists and turns in this play. We don’t necessarily align ourselves with the character we assumed we would. We may see aspects of ourselves that embarrass us or remind us of mistakes we have also made. At the same time, there is also a lot of laughter, a lot of fun, and a lot of heart in Pleasureville. It is a play about a sex shop that I think genuinely speaks across generations and reminds us that no matter how “enlightened” or progressive we may be or think we are, there’s often more room to listen and to grow if we welcome it.
Pleasureville plays now at the Neptune Theatre Scotiabank Studio Theatre (1589 Argyle Street, Halifax) through to October 20th, 2019. Tickets are $30.00-$57.00 and are available by calling the Box Office at 902.429.7070, ONLINE HERE, or in person at the Box Office at 1593 Argyle Street. October 8th is Industry Night and October 9th is Talkback Night. Shows are Tuesday to Sunday at 7:30pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm.
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