All The Sex I've Ever Had (Mammalian Diving Reflex, Melbourne Festival)

I could report, in detail, everything that happened at All The Sex I've Ever Had, but that would be breaking an oath of secrecy, pledged by every audience member, myself included, at the beginning of the performance.

I could tell you about how this mercurial wander down memory lane, guided by six inspiring, open-hearted and wonderfully unguarded seniors, all aged over 65, will make you smile, laugh, guffaw, sigh, and maybe even cry a little. I could share how touching, funny, sometimes shocking, sometimes heartbreaking their stories are, as they offer us an abridged chronicle of their lives, punctuated by sexual encounters, romantic entanglements and moments of self-discovery. I could tell you how hearing these tales of love, lust and loss reveal the universality of human experience, with all its triumphs and flaws, its successes and regrets. I could admit how enlightening these memories are, how they resonate and chime with unspoken parts of myself. And how they expose the strangeness and synergy of our sexual selves; an identity that can embody everything we are, or be nothing more than a distant abstract concept.

I could tell you all this, but I just can't. I promised, after all.

What I can tell you, is that this beautifully simple concept is another masterstroke by Canadian theatre makers Mammalian Diving Reflex, the company behind the surprise hit of the 2016 Melbourne Festival, Haircuts By Children. This is no mere kiss and tell; with sensitive handling, these intimate experiences are laced together to reveal a broader social history, exploring the ways in which our older generations adapted to, rebelled against, and provoked the changing tolerances of our evolving societies.

Wherever this work is staged, it's stories - sourced from a group of locals - are entirely unique. And yet I'd wager there's an element of familiarity to every iteration that surely speaks to the innate sympathies we share as a species, all too easily undermined by the absurd politics that so arbitrarily divide us. But overwhelmingly, this is a work of joy, hope, resilience, and power. They say we can learn a lot from our elders. This show proves it.

Melbourne Festival presents Mammalian Diving Reflex's All The Sex I've Ever Had, at Arts Centre Melbourne till 15 Oct.