Ambika Mod excels as porn addict in uneven play

Royal Court Theatre

Ambika Mod rose above a play about addiction to pornography that received mixed reviews. Some critics thought Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s play, directed by Josie Rourke, was a bold look at female sexuality while others thought it heavy handed and unfocused.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ★★★★

Chris Wiegand in The Guardian called it an ‘ambitious balance of tragedy, horror and comedy’. He commented: ‘In a riveting performance, Ambika Mod manages to make Ani’s isolation and emptiness as moving as it is unsettling.’

Annabel Nugent in The Independent described the play as ‘a welcome and bold addition to the growing discourse surrounding sex and the internet.’ As for Ambika Mod’s performance: ‘she brings a naturalism and genuine fearlessness’.

The play is ‘brutally sad rather than sexy’ said The Standard’s Nick Curtis. He continued: ‘It features a harrowing central performance, more emotionally than physically exposing, from Ambika Mod’.

Olivia Rook for LondonTheatre reported : ‘Chetin-Leuner’s tight, 100-minute play asks lots of probing questions about the complicated and thorny strands of female desire, but only gently touches on the likely root of Ani’s struggle. In Porn Play’s final moments, shame and grief mingle together in a harrowing display that shows not only the skill of its lead performer, but the craft of its ambitious young writer.’

Three stars ★★★

Writing for the Telegraph, Fiona Mountford found it ‘an uncompromising, uncomfortable – get ready to watch myriad masturbation scenes – and too often unsubtle watch.’ The star disappointed her: ‘Mod makes Ani unrelentingly bleak and blank in Josie Rourke’s 100-minute production. The unfortunate upshot of this is that we, like everyone in Ani’s life, feel very distant from her.’

Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski pointed out: ‘Rourke’s production is staged on a remarkable Yimei Zhao set: it transforms the Royal Court’s Upstairs theatre into a sort of gigantic flesh-coloured sofa with what I’m going to go ahead and say is a big hole that’s meant to be evocative of a vaginal opening as its focal point.’ He is critical of the play: ‘It’s a bold play with a fantastically committed performance from Mod. My basic problem is that violent porn addiction in women is such a rare and delicate subject to be tackling that Chetin-Leuner’s splashy conceptual flourishes feel like a personal hobby horse she’s unsubtly worked in.’

The Stage’s Sam Marlowe praise was tempered: ‘It feels like a frenzy of intriguing ideas, none of which is properly pursued – but for all its nebulous muddle, in Josie Rourke’s striking production, it compels. The dialogue zings, and there’s a playful erudition in the writing, even if it seems a draft or two away from the intricate, layered work it might become.’

The Times’ Clive Davis gave faint praise: ‘Josie Rourke’s production is actually as soft-centred as the material underfoot’ and ‘delivers a portrait of a woman who remains more symbol than substance. Ani is a gifted researcher whose expertise on Milton’s Paradise Lost is the cue for some unremarkable reflections on sin and morality. In case we miss the parallels with Eve’s temptations in the Garden of Eden, Ani and her boyfriend, Liam, are shown about to consume an apple in their opening scene.’

Franco Milazzo’s review in BroadwayWorld was so excoriating, I’m surprised he gave the play as many as three stars. ‘This is not an easy watch by any means but neither is it a particularly informative one.’ His many objections include ‘the parallels between Ani’s fall from grace and Eve’s in Paradise Lost. The allusions could hardly be less subtle (…) If the hints were any heavier, the Royal Court should think about reinforcing the foundations.’ The review was also full of research that served to undermine Chetin-Leuner’s story: ‘one study suggests (…) another study points to…’ 

Critics’ average rating 3.4★

Porn Play can be seen at The Royal Court theatre until 12 December 2025. Buy tickets direct from the theatre 

Click here to read Paul Seven’s review

If you’ve seen Porn Play, please add your rating and/or review below