WRITER, performer and theatre-maker Olly Hawes takes us on an intriguing sociological adventure exploring the sometimes dire consequences of patriarchy.

He lays bare the downside of a male-dominated capitalist society with a deft piece of experimental storytelling. Each night he appears opposite a hand-picked but completely unprepared female actor. At Lighthouse we are introduced to Louisa performing her first paid for gig and doing a pretty good job of reading Olly’s strange and occasionally sordid script.

It purports to tell HIS story and it’s not a pretty one. The guy we meet is an arrogant show-off. A tax-dodging fake socialist, a woman-abusing self-styled feminist and a porn-addict with a morbid fear of death.

We witness a carefully scripted power-struggle complete with neatly inserted awkward pauses. We watch a power-trip in which sex and control play a leading role. But it’s sex devoid of love and tenderness. It’s mechanical, brutal, obsessive and frankly downright weird. Or at least that’s the story.

On stage something else is going on. Is Olly guilty of psychologically manipulating Louisa into reading his words about extreme porn? Is she really a willing partner in this project?

The Absolute Truth About Absolutely Everything is a clever show that throws up many uncomfortable questions as it negotiates the fine line that divides theatre and reality.

Jeremy Miles