It's a Motherf***king Pleasure, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington, DC


Aarian Mehrabani, Chloe Palmer, and Sam Brewer in It's a Motherf**king Pleasure at Washington's Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Photo credit: Lucas Ibanez-Fæhn.

When I saw that Woolly Mammoth Theatre’s season would include a play titled It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure, and knowing nothing about the play’s content, my first thought was, this is obviously a Woolly Mammoth kind of show. I have previously referred to their goal of producing “badass theatre.” The phrase “ripped from the headlines” comes to mind, though when this season was planned, there was no way of knowing that acknowledgement and discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion would be banned in the current presidential administration. Those three principles remain essential commitments for Woolly. Though the principles are now derisively referred to (in some circles) as “woke,” Woolly assures us all that, by programming plays like this one, embracing those values ensures that Woolly will remain at the forefront of activist theatre.

First, I must say that while I am a fan of the play, which runs just over an hour, I find its title to be primarily for shock value, but it is also misleading. While I haven’t come up with an alternate title (this title certainly alerts us that the play contains “adult language”), there is more meat than flippancy here: this play is an important statement, a kind of call to arms, that satirizes liberal attitudes about some significant -isms: the usual racism, sexism, and classism, but focuses on an oft-forgotten -ism: ableism.

It is not unusual, at least in this area, to attend a theatrical performance that features audio descriptions of the action, ASL interpretation, or open captioning to increase accessibility. This production features all of the above. And, truth be told, rather than aiming a handful of performances to audiences who would benefit from those enhancements, if we are to be truly inclusive and equitable in serving the ability-diverse audience, shouldn’t we ideally incorporate them all at every performance?

After runs at the Edinburgh Festival and SoHo Playhouse, this Woolly Mammoth production is presented in association with Washington’s Studio Theatre and Boston’s ArtsEmerson. The play will open in Boston after the DC run.


Aarian Mehrabani and Chloe Parker in It's a Motherf**king Pleasure. Photo credit: Paul Fuller.

The play is described as “written and performed by FlawBored,” a disability-led theatrical troupe from the United Kingdom founded by the three performers in the current production. It features two men who are legally blind, one from Australia and the other of Iranian heritage, who uses two canes when he walks, and one woman without apparent disabilities. As the evening progresses, each addresses the audience directly while also creating something of a “play-within-a-play” about a fictional corporation called RIZE demonstrating the absurdity of some attitudes about the disabled. The actors recreate a situation in which a blind “influencer” in the online world is prodded to use his disability as a marketing tool, to turn “ableist guilt” into cash. Feelings about replicating the experience of the disabled (such as sensory deprivation exercises in which subjects wear blindfolds or sound-blocking earphones), while perhaps well-intentioned, amount to a kind of cultural appropriation. These efforts may create a momentary sensation but never a realistic simulation. RIZE’s marketing efforts take a disturbing turn when a teen goes too far in order to experience blindness: a devastating moment in the midst of what has been a light-hearted, laughter-filled performance.

The cast is comprised of Samuel Brewer, Aarian Mehrabani, and Chloe Parker, founders of FlawBored and co-authors of the piece. Under Josh Roche’s direction, they work in concert with video designer Dan Light, lighting designer Alex Musgrave, and sound designer Calum Perrin on the set designed by Cara Evans to make meaningful reflections on the subject matter.

Make no mistake: this is political theatre meant to inspire action, practically forcing the audience to “do something” beyond just changing an attitude. As the audience leaves the theatre, they may draw pre-written tweets about the show to use in social media as well as temporary tattoos, tools for action, as were the programs given out for Woolly’s recent production of Guac that converted to protest signs.

It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure is unexpected, thoughtful, provocative, but also very, very funny, as it skewers many of our attitudes as perhaps well-meaning but inherently unfair or wrong. As with Woolly’s most recent production of Guac (which took on issues of gun control and school safety), it is, indeed, “badass theatre.” Performances continue through March 30. If you have never experienced this kind of activist, confrontational theatre, this is your chance to step outside your comfort zone.  That’s something we should all do at times. 


Samuel Brewer and Chloe Palmer in It's a Motherf**king Pleasure. Photo credit: Lucas Ibanez-Fæhn.




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