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“That Pretty Pretty; or, the rape play,” by Theatre Exile, is a show perfectly suited to our times.

The play, which runs through December 5th at Christ Church Neighborhood House in Old City, is a wild ride of darting back and forth, crossed story lines, unpredictable scenes, shocking goriness and bizarre interjections. At times it feels like you’re watching a Youtube video, until you’re distracted by a pop-up ad. It’s no wonder that the playwright, Sheila Callaghan, describes the play as a “visceral rather than intellectual” experience.

There is plenty to wrap your brain around, though, as long as you can hang onto it during the wild ride. The first scene opens in a hotel room where two ex-strippers proceed to murder a drunken anti-abortionist. Then it re-plays, word for word, as two men swap roles with the would-be heroines and murder a woman.

The story unfolds from there as the audience slowly discovers what is real, what is fake, and what is being created in a character’s head (the scene with the scantily clad strippers Jell-o wrestling can only be the product of a man’s mind!). One man and one woman each seem to be blogging about their murderous exploits, and it isn’t until near the end that the pieces start to come together about how exactly this story is being created. But the fun is in the journey and not knowing what to expect next.

The fun is also in Jane Fonda (clad in purple spandex), who flits through the play offering guidance to the characters; it’s in the 80’s music and culture that the characters are steeped in; it’s in the scene-shifting set and brilliant use of video and projection to create environments; it’s in the ridiculous twists on current events.

“That Pretty Pretty” is a raucous and bawdy show that drags you along for a bumpy ride and offers no apologies. It’s a fun piece of theater that works your brain and embodies today’s never-ending media stream. And did we mention it’s fun?

“That Pretty Pretty; or, the rape play”
November 17th-December 5
www.theatreexile.org

Christ Church Neighborhood House
20 N. American Street
www.christchurchphila.org