The MILF and Mistress

One-woman show The MILF and Mistress is a refreshing, raunchy and provocative look at a middle-aged lesbian who looks in front of a mirror stark naked and doesn’t necessarily like – or recognise – what is staring back at her. Performed as part of Midsumma Festival 2023, the show explores the old-age question: can having everything you’ve ever wanted stop you from becoming everything you’ve ever needed?

Meet Ali. An English literature nut and high school teacher. A wife, mother of two boisterous sons, an owner of a Subaru Forester and a killer set of Mikita tools. Ali is living the dream out in Carnegie and is about as wild as a bowl of quinoa - bed before 10 p.m. and in flannelette pyjamas. Beneath this veil of suburban monotony, weekly soccer game drop-offs and packed school lunches, lays a fierce desire to explore her kinks, namely BDSM.

The journey of self-discovery takes Ali to some exhilarating places. She ditches her powerful bright green power suit in exchange for a latex-clad bodysuit and attends a warehouse party. She mingles with like-minded people. She visits Mistress Eve, a dominatrix, and explores her fetish for being humiliated, spanked and treated like an abject slave.

Written by multi-award-winning playwright and actor Jane Montgomery Griffiths, The MILF & Mistress comments on the lived experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community that aren’t often told on-stage.

‘We all know about the invisibility of middle age for women … so much of that, though, is tied up with heterosexuality and women no longer being deemed attractive. There’s very little theatrical work out there exploring and validating middle-aged lesbians and their sexuality,” explains Jane Montgomery Griffiths.

Performer Jennifer Vuletic is outstanding in her brave portrayal of a woman who has everything but yearns for so much more. As an audience member, you immediately become transfixed by Vuletic’s aura and her ability to craft a multi-layered, honest and raw story.

Much effort is made to illustrate an authentic experience of voyeurism, fetishism and sex. The audience will witness a live video of the actor’s experience in the dungeon. The set features transparent drapes to accentuate the vibe of peeking through, especially when the actor strips bare and performs the scene where Ali visits the sex worker.

Directed by Dianne Toulson, The MILF and Mistress is an entertaining ride that adds weight to the lesbian identity in present-day Melbourne. It is completely unique and hypnotising.

The MILF and Mistress runs until Saturday 4 February 2025 at Theatre Works.
https://www.theatreworks.org.au/