REVIEW: LIFE WOULD BE PRETTY DULL WITHOUT SEX, RAVES AND MDMA at the Bread & Roses Theatre 21 – 22 Oct 2026

“the moments that work really work” ★★★

Few things strike as much terror into my heart as the prospect of audience participation. Yet in ‘Life Would Be Pretty Dull Without Sex, Raves and MDMA’, I found myself not only enjoying a show that invites audience participation, but actually having fun when I was called upon to join in. In fact, the show is at its strongest when writer-actor Bex Wall responds off the cuff to audience contributions. The highlight of the night was Wall’s incredulity when one audience member got Diamond White mixed up with White Diamond. This speaks to the playful humour of the script (co-written by Sarah Asante Gregory and Wall) and to Wall’s onstage charisma.

We follow Bex as she moves at dizzying speed through decades of her life, dropping in on moments ranging from a tragic inquest in her youth to a pretty freaky rave at a vagina museum. Not everything works. The play could be streamlined in places. Other aspects, particularly Bex’s relationship with her mother, would benefit from greater depth. Meanwhile, the continual swings between heady highs and crushing lows, though effective in evoking the comedown after a good night out, eventually begin to feel repetitive.

Nevertheless, the moments that work really work. Several of the rave scenes are beautifully evoked through Wall’s physicality, a booming soundtrack and director Krystal Lowe’s sparkly set design. The play’s more sombre moments, meanwhile, are carried by Wall’s performance; you can feel how connected she is to the material.



I left the theatre with a smile on my face and a lot of love for Bex, even if I still reckon life’s alright without MDMA.

Life Would be Pretty Dull Without Sex, Raves and MDMA by Sarah Asante Gregory and Bex Wall / Bread & Roses Theatre / 21 – 22 Oct 2026

https://lambethfringe.com/events/life-would-be-pretty-dull-without-sex-raves-and-mdma