The rise and fall of a porn star

The rise and fall of a porn star

Homme Fatale: the Joey Stefano Story
With Shane C. Rodrigo
Wednesday-Saturday, 9.30pm, and Sunday, 5pm, until November 8
Lion Theatre, Adelaide
Part of the Feast Lesbian and Gay Cultural Festival

Review by Katie Broadbent

Joey Stefano was a gay porn star in the 1980s. This play is the tale of his rise and ultimate demise. With a cast consisting solely of Shane C. Rodrigo, this Brechtesque show is not for the faint-hearted, with drug use and nudity prominent throughout.

Rodrigo's performance is good considering the play is a 90-minute-long solo effort. He builds a rapport with the audience (especially with the front row during the striptease).

He effectively portrays the porn world's objectification: "Come back when you've got breasts as big as Dolly Parton's, a penis enlargement and perfect teeth, honey!".

One of the most gripping scenes is when Stefano accepts a penis-shaped award in a tuxedo coat with no pants and talks into the microphone about how lonely he is. This scene ends with a little boy's voice begging his father not "to make me do it", a reference to sexual abuse.

In Homme Fatale, Joey Stefano strips more than physically. It's a raw, dramatic and tragic look at life as a gay icon.

From GLW issue 339