1972: The Future of Sex

The Wardrobe Ensemble

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781848428478
• eBook ISBN: 9781788501767
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

It's 1972. An era of possibility and polyester and pubic hair. While Ziggy Stardust is on Top of the Pops, Penny is writing an essay on Lady Chatterley's Lover, Christine is watching Deep Throat and Brian is confused.

Devised byThe Wardrobe Ensemble, 1972: The Future of Sex incorporates the company's trademark theatricality, irreverent humour and ensemble ingenuity to tell the story of three couples having sex for the first time – and a country on the brink of a sexual awakening.

Commissioned by Shoreditch Town Hall, the play was first seen there in 2014, before a UK tour in 2015, including performances at Bristol Old Vic and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was revived at the Bristol Old Vic in 2019.

0.

A seventies’ set.

Microphones in the corners.

A radio. Present-day pop songs playing. The lights dim and the radio quickly cycles back through time, playing clips of news, pop culture and songs until we arrive at ‘All the Young Dudes’ by Mott The Hoople from the year 1972.

A MUSICIAN coolly enters, picks up the radio, eyes up the audience and saunters over to his guitar.

The cast enter and sit on a row of chairs.

Finally, a final member of the cast, appearing as a PRESENTER, enters and stands by a mic.

1.

Music builds.

PRESENTER (on mic, enthusiastic as hell). This is it! For the first time this century, there are swathes of marriageable men. Britain might be a little under the weather. But the British people, especially the young, are grabbing life by the horns. Now is the time to p-p-pick up a boyfriend. This is the luckiest time to be alive and young. Sex is rampant and around every corner and the kids are grabbing it and grabbing it and saying yes! Yes! This is it!

Music cuts out. Harsh light on the cast sitting, silent and awkward.

Music builds again.

This! Is! It! The permissive society. The young are swinging, dancing and jiving. With a contraceptive pill in one hand and a tab of acid in the other, they enter the night. Casting away their morals into the dark and wolfing down that pill, they march on down the high street looking for unadulterated sex: Free sex! Free love! From a passing stranger. No young people have been so carefree, so loose, so blessed. Educated, rebellious and alive. These kids play it hard and fast, dancing like there is no tomorrow!

Music cuts out. The cast sit, even more self-conscious and awkward than before.

The music kicks in again as the PRESENTER howls and throws themself across the stage.

THIS IS IT! 1972! This! This! This! You are the children of the Age of Aquarius. Contraception was the key, and now you are free. Free-floating across the cosmos like groovy astronauts. Thousands of years have led up to this moment and this is it. A million colours spurt out of your mouth like some kind of crazy dragon. And your naked bodies collide in an infinity of everything. For this is what it means…

The PRESENTER points at audience members.

Love, Love, Love. You, You, You.

It’s in your fate so grab it, grab it now!

The PRESENTER turns to the rest of the cast, who look at him awkwardly.

2.

ANTON’s bedroom.

ANTON, a young-looking teenager, rises from his chair. A school bag is slung over his shoulder.

KERRY (on mic). This is Anthony. His parents call him Anthony. His friends call him Tony. He calls himself Anton.

ANTON walks into his room, sees himself in the mirror and sighs.

He removes some sparkly, tight-fitting clothes from the bag and lays them out on the floor.

He carefully takes out a record from his school bag. It is David Bowie’s Hunky Dory. He hands the record to the MUSICIAN. ‘Queen Bitch’ plays.

ANTON props the record sleeve up on a chair, goes back to the mirror and sighs.

Angrily he removes his clothes, and stands in his underwear examining his body, testing out different positions and jiggling his tummy.

He puts his new clothes on, smiles, poses, likes what he sees.

3.

CHRISTINE’s bedroom.

CHRISTINE and RICH enter and stand opposite each other, staring into each other’s eyes.

JIMMY (on mic). Thursday 6th July 1972, 4:30 p.m. The walls of Christine’s bedroom are covered in a repeating series of brown-hued hearts and circles, arranged into a pattern not dissimilar to tulips. A dog-eared print of David Cassidy hangs above her single bed. Rich tugs at the hem of her frilly white blouse, which used to be her favourite but lately she thinks may make her look like a tarty Smurf. They kiss. CHRISTINE and RICH move towards each other and kiss passionately.

HELENA (on mic). They kiss as if there is nothing else in the world.

EMILY (on mic). Their two lips move softly against each other.

ENGLAND (on mic). Sharing spit and secrets.

JIMMY (on mic). They kiss.

ALL (on mic, ad libbing. Not unison.) And kiss. And kiss. And kiss. And kiss –

MEADOWS (on mic). Can we get on with this please?

JIMMY (on mic). A long kiss is a good kiss.

RICH and CHRISTINE stop kissing.

RICH. Babe, I’ve gotta split.

CHRISTINE. Nooo.

RICH. I have to. My soundcheck starts in like twenty minutes.

CHRISTINE. Can’t they just do it without you?

RICH. Babe, I’m the frontman, they can’t do anything without me.

CHRISTINE. Alright, bighead –

RICH. Oi! I’ll see you at the gig, alright?

ENGLAND (on mic). Rich has only ever kissed three girls. The first was more of a peck on the lips, and it was when he was nine, and it was with his cousin...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Contents
• Foreword
• A Note from Co-director Tom Brennan
• A Note from Musical Director and Composer
• Interview with the company by Kate Wyver
• A Note from Company Member Tom England
• A Note from Edythe Woolley, Dramaturg
• Original Production
• Production Photos
• Dedication
• Characters
• 1972: The Future of Sex
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information