Tapping into ever-present themes from the news, 15 Minutes of Shame explores how the cost of living crisis pushes one couple towards OnlyFans.
The gig economy is a perilous place for any young couple, which is where Ellen Pallant’s Her and Anton Bibby’s Him find themselves. Hard up for cash, with rent due, he suggests she start an OnlyFans. Resistant at first, she ultimately accepts, with limits.
The hour-long play explores how that choice, and whether it really is a choice, affects each of them separately and their relationship together. While certainly still topical in 2026, it doesn’t feel as though it reaches fresh or new territory until the final moments of 15 Minutes of Shame.
The presentations of shame and monologues from both Him and Her, although performed well, to the audience about how they find the process are most certainly rooted in reality, but feel a little clichéd and tired.
The twist at the end introduces new territory, flipping the script from stories we’ve seen before into something new. It feels tantalisingly close to a new take on the age-old question around sex work, the gig economy, and relationship dynamics, and then the play ends.
Bringing that twist, which we won’t spoil here, earlier and exploring the new elements introduced there would have helped make 15 Minutes of Shame a more intriguing work.
As it stands, Pallant and Bibby’s confident performances can’t hide how the script regurgitates arguments and issues most will have heard before. There’s too much reliance on explaining morality to the audience, rather than showing the characters grapple with it.
What the actors do have, they work well with, showcasing real chemistry and bringing humanity to sometimes textbook problems. Their performances are the heart of the show, with heartwarming exchanges and well-timed comedic beats that help the hour pass by quickly.
All in all, 15 Minutes of Shame has moments where it shines, but leaves you wanting more in a disappointing fashion rather than intriguingly.
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